


Galeem's Gift

by Fossil_the_Lich



Category: Metroid Series, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Smash Brothers, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Character Death, Drama, F/M, Genderswap, Harems, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Original Character(s), Possession, Self-Insert, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 00:50:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 59,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20417150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fossil_the_Lich/pseuds/Fossil_the_Lich
Summary: A wilderness caretaker finds his island visited by women he thought were only fictional. What seems like a romantic fantasy becomes a lot more dire as video game characters clash with the real world.





	1. Silent Princess Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who didn't come from the link on Reddit, this story is based on the SSBU NSFW CYOA V3.1 https://imgur.com/a/NjDfgUO
> 
> I've just imported this from fanfiction.net, I expect that there will be some errors in formatting and will be going through the entire story in the next couple days and fixing them.

"The deal is complete…"

I woke with a start, the dream already fading fast but the last words echoing in my head. Whatever that was, it had felt more real than any dream I had experienced.

Glancing over at my alarm clock, I groaned. It was only a few minutes until I would have to get up anyway, so I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled to the window.

Pulling open the curtains I took in the beautiful morning before me. Just over the treeline the first rays of light could be seen, and a thick fog still hung over the pond below my home. The other direction was a vast meadow, patches of snow dotting the frozen grass. No other humans for miles.

A glimmer from the treeline on the other side of the pond caught my eye, something metallic. Maybe there were some other people around, I thought to myself.

I desperately wished I could ignore the light but I had a job to do. Throwing on my uniform, I marched into the crisp winter morning, keys jingling in my hand as I approached the gator parked out front. The engine stuttered a couple times before the reassuring roar kicked in, and I was off.

Swerving along the lightly worn paths, I secretly hoped whoever was out here would get the message from the noise of the gator alone and leave before I found them. The path wound around the pond, giving some time for a trespasser to make it a good way back to the beach, where no doubt their boat was. I saw the glimmer again, alas I'd have to play the role of the asshole kicking them out of paradise before I got breakfast.

My expectations were dashed however when I entered the clearing the light had been coming from.

In the center of the clearing was a golden disk, at least four feet wide. Upon the disk were two statues of women facing away from each other, so life-like that I wouldn't have been surprised if they were actors holding perfectly still. What made me convinced they were statues was who they depicted.

One looked exactly like Princess Zelda from the Breath of the Wild dressed in white, while the other looked to be the female Pokemon trainer. I couldn't recall which generation she belonged to, but I had seen her often enough to tell what series she was from, even if her hair style seemed strange in a real life depiction.

I glanced around for signs as to how someone brought the statues here. What I was uncertain of was how they could have gotten it here without me overhearing. There weren't any signs of tire treads in the grassy opening, nor drag marks where the statues might have been slid.

As I approached I pulled out my work phone from the holster on my belt and thought of how I'd phrase the phone call to my supervisors. This was going to look bad, no matter how I tried to spin it, best to come clean and give an accurate description of events. Someone dumping a pair of statues on my watch was the exact sort of thing I was here to prevent.

Scrolling through my contacts list, I was about to hit call as I rested my hand on Zelda's shoulder.

I pulled my hand away just as a ripple of light flowed over the two statues in a blink of an eye. Zelda vanished into an angry red ball of light, and the Pokemon trainer gasped, coming alive before my eyes. Whatever she was about to do was cut short, when the light Zelda had become slammed into her back, consuming her in the red glow.

I didn't even have time to cover my eyes, wincing from the blinding flash. When I looked again the pedestal they had stood on was gone and a woman who looked exactly like Princess Zelda was standing in the wet grass. Shivering, eyes red, white dress splattered with mud and looking as if she had watched her whole world fall apart.

"Are you alright miss?" I asked.

The woman looked startled by my question, then her expression turned to determination, "Where is the sword? We need to get to the Great Deku Tree with haste, there is much to be done." Her accent was uncanny, identical to that of the game.

"Your dedication to character is impressive, really. I admire the Princess Zelda costume, but you are trespassing. I need you to leave the area." I said, pointing down the path that would take her back to the boat docks.

"Costume! I am Princess Zelda. Hyrule is under attack, we have no time for silly games." She all but shouted at me.

I took a deep breath, torn with how to respond. "Okay Princess, I'll drive you to the docks and from there you can make your way to the Deku Tree."

She continued to glare at me for a moment, before nodding, "Acceptable, let us go immediately."

I climbed into the driver's seat of my gator and gestured for her to take the passenger seat. She gave the vehicle a hesitant glance and delicately climbed in.

With a twist of the keys, the gator roared to life and I took us on the fastest trail towards the docks. The trail was dotted with roots and bumps, to the point I couldn't take my eyes away from the path ahead, but I could tell Zelda didn't like the roughness of the ride by how she occasionally grabbed my shoulder for support, not that she complained. She was silent for the entire drive.

Finally we turned the last bend, pulling onto the sandy river beach. There was the dock, and which to my surprise was as empty as it had been the night before.

"Did you remember to tie up your boat when you got here?" I asked, glancing down river for any sign of a boat.

"I didn't arrive by boat, I don't know how I got here. You must stop wasting time, with each moment Calamity Ganon grows stronger." She said.

I stopped looking for a boat and turned to stare into her intense blue eyes, the dirt and dust on her face marked with trails of recent tears.

"Okay, I want to believe you are who you say you are, so I'm giving you one last chance to come clean. At which point I will take you to my personal boat, take you to where you need to go and move on with my day. If you continue to insist you are Princess Zelda and it comes out that this is an elaborate prank, I'll be calling the Sheriffs and you'll likely be charged for trespassing at the minimum. If you somehow are the real Princess Zelda, we need to have a rather uncomfortable conversation."

"And what uncomfortable conversation would that be?" She said with no hesitation in her voice.

"You aren't in Hyrule anymore Princess, you aren't even in the same world if I understand the situation correctly."

"What do you mean, if I'm not in the same world, where am I?" She said, doubt entering her voice.

"Take my jacket," I said, pulling off my uniforms rain jacket and handing it her. She was shivering and her teeth were beginning to chatter. "Let's get you warmed up back at the ranch and I can explain everything there. If I'm correct, Hyrule should be safe for now."

She looked as if she was about to refuse, then took my jacket and pulled it over her arms, giving much more protection from the winter chill than her strapless white dress. "Thank you, warmth would be welcome now." she said quietly.

We drove in silence back to the ranch where I was living. It had been abandoned years ago and much of it was collapsing before the position of caretaker was established. The only intact building was the double wide trailer brought here for the resident caretaker of the island to live in while the rest of the buildings were being repaired.

I pulled the gator up a few feet from the front door and led Zelda into my home.

Pulling a towel from underneath my counter, I handed it to Zelda. While she dried herself off I turned up the heater, started to boil some water and went to find some clothes that would fit the young woman.

She was over half a foot shorter than I, so the only pants she'd be close to fitting were a pair of my sweatpants. I grabbed those, a long sleeve shirt, a wool sweater and socks and gave them to the Princess before leaving the living room to give her space to change.

I returned to the room, suppressing the thought of how adorable Zelda looked in an oversized wool sweater, I took the kettle off the stove. "Coffee, Tea or Hot Cocoa?" I said, wondering if Hyrule had coffee or cocoa at the time of Breath of the Wild.

"Coffee please, " Zelda said. I poured her a mug of coffee and brought it to where she was curled up on my couch and she took it from my hands. I settled into the chair across from her with a cup of coffee of my own.

"I haven't even asked your name. " Zelda said softly.

"Fossil," I said, " You can call me Fossil."

"Tell me Fossil, what did you mean when you said I'm not in the same world anymore."

I took a deep breath, "There is a story, a series of stories that many people in my world know as the Legend of Zelda. Most of these stories focus on three individuals who reincarnate over the generations, Link who with the assistance of Princess Zelda defeat Ganon in his attempt to conquer Hyrule. Except unlike the versions you might have heard, they aren't considered history or even really a legend, they are completely fictional."

I continued, "That's why I thought you were playing a prank or wearing a costume, your story is rather popular and a lot of people dress up like you for fun. Except I can believe that you are the real Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and that means you've somehow come from a world thought only as fiction and ended up here. "

Zelda looked down at her mug, a lost look on her face. Finally she spoke, "Thank you for believing in me Fossil. Though I'm afraid your belief in me might be misplaced. I am Princess Zelda, but I failed to defeat Calamity Ganon, I wasn't strong enough."

"Link just fell in battle protecting you didn't he?" I asked.

Zelda looked up from her mug, tears in her eyes, "You've heard my story then? What is it they say I didn't do right? Did I not train hard enough, pray hard enough, study hard enough? What more could I have possibly done not to lose everything?"

"You didn't lo.." I paused, "Let me show you something." I pulled out my phone, walking over to the couch. Selecting youtube, I found a video compilation of all the cutscenes from breath of the wild. Tapping quickly, I progressed the video to what I wanted to show her.

"Is that a Sheikah slate?" Zelda asked.

"Something like that," I said as I hit play.

Zelda gasped as the screen began to show Link's resurrection.

We watched the video play out, Link meeting the spirit of Zelda's father, Impa and finally, the permanent defeat of Ganon. As the music swelled and the camera zoomed out to the lone Silent Princess, Zelda sat up straight.

"If it is not too much trouble, I need to be alone." She said.

I nodded, "I'll be working outside if you need anything." I grabbed my jacket and headed out back into the cold winter morning.

My plan for the day had been to crush down a patch of blackberry on the southern side of the island, but given the circumstance I instead organized the tool shed, keeping a close eye on the house. Part of me still wondered if this wasn't an incredibly elaborate joke, and I was leaving a cosplayer alone in my home, but that part was shrinking by the minute. Zelda seemed genuinely surprised by the videos content. Thoughts about the implications of the situation raced through my head as I worked.

I was carrying a pair of shovels from the barn when I saw Zelda step out of my front door, waving timidly to catch my attention. Setting the tools down I walked over to her.

"What can I help you with?" I asked.

"I don't mean to impose further, but can I trouble you for some food?" Zelda said, blushing.

"Certainly," I thought about the state of my kitchen, "Fair warning though, the food will probably be worse than what you are used to at Hyrule."

Zelda smiled, "I shan't complain, you've been more than generous already."

My kitchen was a mess. It hadn't reached the level of health hazard, but without any reason to expect guests my cleaning habits had slipped back to those of my college days. The bowl I had eaten canned chili from last night still sat in the basin of the sink, along with the plates from yesterday's lunch and breakfast, and a few dozen other pieces of silverware and cups. Turning around to block the kitchen doorway, and the sight of messy sink I put on my best smile, "Eggs on toast sound good?"

"It sounds wonderful," Zelda said, resting on the couch and letting the oversized sweater pool around her waist.

I set about preparing breakfast, which I only now realized I myself had not yet had. Soon enough, breakfast was served. Zelda ate rather delicately, and I followed suit, though definitely for a different reason than she. Getting egg in my beard in front of my guest was not something I wanted to do.

Just as I finished my last bite Zelda spoke. "Fossil..Do you know of any way I can get back to Hyrule?"

"I don't Zelda, I know that some scientists have speculated that different dimensions or worlds might exist, but as far as I know it is all theory. If you weren't here right now I would be convinced travel between dimensions wouldn't happen in my life time." I said, meeting her eyes.

"I am here though, so we know it is possible. There has to be a way!" Zelda said.

"Yes, but it might not be accessible in this world, it could be something on your world that sent you here, or something from a different world entirely." Her shoulders began to fall.

"So you're saying I might be stuck here?" Zelda said.

"Maybe? Unless you know of anything magical that can get you back, my world probably doesn't have the means of getting you home now. In a few decades, who knows. We are in a period of technological growth beyond any in our history. I don't want you to give up on hope, but don't get your heart set on it happening anytime soon."

Zelda rubbed the back of hand, looking away from me with a contemplative look on her face."Take me to where I first appeared, there must be some evidence as to what happened."

We pulled into the glade, which looked about the same as when we had left it. The dead grass still showed our footprints from this morning, and the large circular disk marking from the pedestal Zelda had been standing on.

"Right there, you looked like you were frozen or a statue when I found you. There was another woman too, but she disappeared when I touched your shoulder." I said.

"Someone else? Why had you not mentioned that, it could be a clue as to how I arrived." Zelda said.

"You seemed to have more important things on your mind, I'm sorry for not mentioning it. There was also a golden disk that both of you were standing on that disappeared as well. It had some kind of marking on it, but it disappeared before I could inspect it further." I said, gesturing to the circular mark in the grass.

Zelda slowly approached the place where she had stood frozen only a few hours ago, raising her hand to the point. "There is something here." She said as the back of her hand glowed faintly in the pattern of three triangles. Slowly, she rolled her wrist, twitched her fingers, almost as if she were tuning an invisible dial.

"Zelda, I see something." I said, gesturing to the space next to her. Ever so faintly, I could make out the silhouette of another person, growing more visible by the second.

"I don't see anything, what is it?" Zelda asked.

The ghostly form of the female pokemon trainer was now visible, still frozen in place, while Zelda was glowing the angry red color that had appeared when I had touched her statue.

"The other woman, still as a statue, and there is a red light around you."

Zelda looked at where I was pointing, then glanced down at herself, "I can't see her, but I feel something, counting down. Something is coming. Soon, a few days maybe"

"It might be your way home?"

"I hope so," Zelda said, looking down at her feet, "I suppose we'll have to wait and see. It doesn't feel like I can change it in any way."

"Then we have a game plan, you are welcome to stay with me until the timer runs down, and we can plan from there." I said, watching the pokemon trainer and the glow around Zelda fade. "For the moment, I need to go do my job while there is still day-light."

"I meant to ask, what is your station? Your uniform implies military, but you don't act like any soldier I've met." Zelda said, eyes lingering on my badge.

"I'm a Ranger, it's a civil servant position not a military one. I'm stationed here to make sure people don't trespass on the island." I said, ignoring that Zelda's use of the word station probably meant class or caste.

Zelda smiled, "You seem to be failing in your duty Ranger Fossil, you've let me trespass all day."

I chuckled, "Helping people stranded on the island and making sure they get home is another part of my job, though I didn't imagine it would mean people from other worlds when I chose this position."

"Let's not keep you from your duties then."

I dropped Zelda off back at the ranch and did my daily patrol of the island. There wasn't any sign of people coming or going, but that wasn't surprising given that it was the middle of winter.

Routine complete, I returned to the ranch just as the sun was setting. Zelda seemed to want space to herself, so I set about tidying up the place, and setting up the bedroom for Zelda to sleep in. I insisted that I would take the couch and Zelda had no problem accepting, which made me wonder how much of a royal treatment she might be expecting.

As the night wound down, I found myself lying on the couch, looking out the window into the starry sky. Even if Zelda was able to leave in only a few days, I had a feeling my world had changed forever.


	2. Silent Princess Part 2

It took me a moment to realize why I was waking up on the couch instead of my own bed. Stretching, I stood up from the couch and shambled over to the kitchen.

Peeking into the bedroom, I saw that Zelda was still sleeping and as quietly as I could, set about making breakfast for the two of us.

Soon the house was filled with the smell of sausage and eggs. Enough so that it must have alerted Zelda, since she stumbled her way out of the bedroom.

She was still wearing my sweater, which came nearly to her knees, though she was also wearing her white dress underneath to maintain modesty.

"Good morning! Coffee?" I asked cheerfully.

Zelda nodded, still looking half asleep. I supposed sunrise was early for most people, even Princesses.

She perked up after receiving her coffee, though the energy didn't reach her blue eyes. "We should return to the glade after breakfast, there is something I'd like to try."

"Good to know, though if nothing changes I think we should go into town and buy you some new clothes." I said. "And more food, I'm not stocked up for guests and these were the last of my perishables." I gestured to the remaining sausages.

"That would be nice, I'd rather not wear this dress any longer than I have to." Zelda said.

I clenched my jaw and took a sip of coffee, proud of myself for my restraint.

We finished breakfast and prepared to leave for the glade. "Not wearing your uniform today?" Zelda asked.

"No, today and tomorrow are my days off. One of the other Rangers will pass through to make sure boaters stick to the beach but almost no one comes out in the middle of the work week." I explained as we left the house and made our way to the gator. The drive only took us a few minutes as we looped around the pond to where Zelda had first appeared.

She didn't explain what she wanted to try, but it involved lots of slow hand motions in or around the space the statues had stood.

Whatever she was doing was causing the shape of the Pokemon trainer and the red glow around Zelda to fade in and out at first, but after a few minutes I realized I could do the same thing by focusing my eyes.

Zelda still couldn't see either phenomenon, but according to her it was progress. Once we left the glade I tested if focusing my eyes would produce the same effect elsewhere and found that it did, the red glow blooming into view and the silhouette of the Pokemon Trainer hovering near Zelda. All of this, Zelda was noting in a notebook I had given her.

Though it was at this point we realized that despite sounding the same, her native tongue of Hylian and English had very different alphabets. I was fairly certain there was a Hylian to English translation chart somewhere out there. If we were really lucky some passionate Legend of Zelda fan had made a Hylian translation tool online.

That was a project for another time however. Experiments with her arrival point done for the moment, Zelda and I drove to where my boat was moored. She didn't say anything at the time, but kept giving the motor of the boat curious glances.

The trip to the dock where my personal car was parked took only twenty minutes, even with the choppy winter conditions. Tying down the boat, I asked Zelda to give me a minute and popped into the dockside Ranger office. I wasn't even fully through the door before I was met with a booming voice.

"Hey Fossil, how's the island? Not too cold for you?" The man was tall, taller than me by a couple inches and his wide brimmed Ranger hat only added to the effect of him towering over me. Despite that, he had warmth in his smile that came from years of genuinely enjoying working with people.

"Not yet Peter, I've lucked out so far for my first winter. I'm going into town with a friend, want me to pick anything up for you?" I said.

Peter looked out the window and quirked an eyebrow at me, "No, don't worry about me. Go have a fun day with your friend. I'll hold the fort while you're gone."

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks Peter, have a good one out there."

"Always do." He shouted out as I left the office.

"Ready to go?" I asked Zelda, who had been examining the boats in the marina. She nodded and followed me up to the parking lot. We hopped into my minivan, still crusted with mud from my last road trip, and set out towards town.

The entire trip Zelda was leaning as far as she could in her seat, staring in wonder at the sights before her.

"What is that, those colored lights?" She asked.

"Traffic signals, they let drivers know when to stop or go so they don't collide."

"How do they work?"

"I'm not entirely sure, I believe they either have an internal computer or they are connected to a greater system that runs when the lights should change, we could look it up if you'd like."

"I'd love to visit a library, is there one by the market?"

"Maybe, but I was thinking looking it up on my phone."

"The device like a Sheikah Slate? How could it have more information than a library?"

I chuckled, "Oh Zelda, once we have figured out a translation tool, I'm going to introduce you to the wonders of wikipedia."

From there the conversation drifted into what the internet was and how it worked. Zelda had endless questions and I had no problem answering them to the best of my ability, assuring her we could look up those I didn't know.

The rest of the drive went by in a blur, and before we knew it I was pulling into the mall parking lot. Zelda's eyes were wide, taking in the vast parking lot, the glittering glass roof of the mall itself and the thin crowds of people moving to and from the lot. She didn't even seem to notice how cold it still was, the tips of her pointed ears bright red.

"Um first order of business, finding you a hat." I said, spotting a clothing store and leading her in that direction.

"Why? Oh! I suppose it is a bit cold." She said, putting a hand to her ears.

"That, and people here don't have pointed ears. Not usually, there are some rare instances where people alter their ears but you probably should avoid drawing too much attention to yourself." I said.

"Will people react so poorly to them?" She said.

"Well... " I trailed off, thinking about what people might actually do. The likelihood seemed impossibly slim that people would do anything based on her ears alone, even her behavior would likely be ignored as eccentricity. "Never mind, some people might give you odd looks but it doesn't matter. Let's just get you some general clothes first."

Clothes shopping went vastly better than I expected. Zelda seemed just as overwhelmed as I was clothes shopping, so I reminded her that we just needed to get her an outfit for her to wear now and we can put more thought into the rest later. With that in mind, her choice didn't really surprise me.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked after she came out of the changing room. She had picked out a blue long sleeve shirt, black pants and boots.

"Like a Princess, very lovely." I said. The details were off, but it looked like she had walked out of the video game. Well, even more than before.

"Thank you," She said, cheeks rosy.

We bought only a couple more sets of similar clothes and a set of pajamas, opting to come back next week if we hadn't managed to get her home by then. My lack of housing expenses meant I had a good amount of money saved up, but I didn't want to commit to buying a Princess an entire wardrobe any time soon.

I intended to go straight to the grocery store afterwards, but Zelda insisted we explore the mall further. Lingering behind as Zelda dashed from store window to store window, I reflected on what I recalled from Zelda's life as told in Breath of the Wild.

She was under an extraordinary pressure from her father and the entire kingdom to unlock the powers innate in the royal line, without guidance from her mother. While she had allies and support from the champions, the plans to stop Ganon and save her kingdom wouldn't work without her unlocking those powers. This was probably the first time in years that pressure wasn't weighing down on her.

The sight of Zelda dropping to her knees broke me from my musings and I jogged over to where she knelt next to a display of shirts. Video game characters and logos were plastered on the shirts, characters such as Master Chief, Commander Shepard, Mario.

And Link.

Zelda was looking at Link's face, hand raised almost as if to touch him on the cheek. "I'm so sorry Link. I'll find a way back and we can save Hyrule." I could barely hear her over the crowd, which thankfully seemed to be taking no notice of her.

She stood up, turning to me, "I'm ready to leave now." I nodded, not saying anything as we walked out of the mall.

Once we were in the parking lot and out of ear shot of anyone else I finally spoke. "If you'd like to talk about it, or anything, I'm happy to listen."

The Princess was quiet for a moment, "Thank you for all of your help Fossil, but my burdens are mine to bear. The sooner I return to my world the sooner I can fix my mistakes."

I wanted to argue, insist that she hadn't made any mistakes, but I held back.

We drove to the grocery store in silence and when I asked, Zelda said she'd prefer to stay in the car. Wandering the aisles bent over the shopping cart, my mind was racing back over the conversations we had.

Somehow I had forgotten only yesterday she had watched multiple loved ones die and that I had shown here a video confirming the deaths of even more people she knew and loved. Her Father, her friends, her people, Link, the man she had grown closest to in the days before Hyrules fall.

My insides felt like they were being crushed into a knot, so I took a moment to compose myself, taking deep breaths.

She was so composed most of the time that it had been easy to believe she wasn't a woman grieving.

She was so much more composed than I had been in the days after.

I needed to stop thinking of her life before arriving here as part of a game. What I had done was insensitive beyond belief and she had been thanking me left and right for my supposed generosity.

Frustrated with my behavior, I set about gathering food as quickly as possible so I wouldn't leave Zelda alone in the car any longer than necessary. I was torn about adding fruits and vegetables I knew grew in Hyrule to the cart, not sure if they would be a welcome reminder of home or bring painful memories. In the end I left them out.

Returning to the car, I spotted Zelda wiping her eyes when she noticed me approaching. The knot in my stomach tightened. I pretended not to notice she had been crying, and loaded the groceries into the back of the minivan.

Car loaded we set off back towards the marina. Loading the groceries and clothing into the boat took a bit longer than I expected. Zelda wasn't the best at hauling groceries, taking one bag at a time from the parking lot down the narrow pier to the boat. Not that I was going to call her out on it.

The waters had gotten choppier since the morning, and light rain started on our boat ride up river. Heavy garbage bags protected the food and clothing, but the boat's cover only gave us so much protection and I needed to take it slow. We were nearly drenched through our rain jackets by the time we moored on the island and completely drenched after the ride to the ranch.

Zelda retreated to the bedroom to dry off and I took the bathroom, ringing out my clothing into the shower basin and hanging them up on the curtain rod. Living on an island with no dryer had its disadvantages sometimes.

I was on the couch, bundled up in blankets, laptop resting in my lap, looking for Hylian to English text translation tools when Zelda emerged from the bed room.

"I've found something, the translation sheet." I showed Zelda a page I found online.

We worked through the alphabet phonetically, double checking to make sure each character was lined up with the correct sounds. Once we were certain there wouldn't be any errors in translation, we changed gears.

I pulled up wikipedia on my laptop, and gave Zelda a brief instruction on how to operate the touchpad and keyboard. She picked it up quickly, and we moved on to how to use wikipedia itself. The translations meant that Zelda was constantly glancing between the web page and the translation page, but we had a workable method of her looking up information on her own.

She seemed heartened by the progress, but was subdued during dinner and went to bed earlier than the night before.

The next day we spent compiling a list of subjects we felt Zelda needed to familiarize herself with. She had wanted to jump straight into researching dimensional travel, but I argued for starting with more basic things. We came to the compromise that she'd work through the entire article for the State we were currently in, partially for practice and partially so she'd know the area in case we were separated, at least a little.

I found all the articles I could on inter-dimensional travel on my phone while Zelda worked through the first article. Finding things that weren't sci-fi or only tangentially related was tricky, but all the ones I did find only said that other dimensions could hypothetically exist in certain mathematical models. Zelda wanted to look at them herself, in the off chance the physics involved inspired a magical solution, though I wasn't that confident.

A few hours before sunset I set about doing the chores in preparation for my work week. When I was prepping for bed Zelda was still at it, translating physics papers into Hylian in hopes to find a way home.

The rest of the week we fell into a strict schedule. We would check the place where Zelda had first appeared for any signs of change. I would then do my normal routine of maintenance and patrol around the island, while Zelda spent the day researching. At dinner we'd discuss Zelda's findings and bounce ideas back and forth of what avenues to research next. By the second day of this, Zelda no longer needed the translator and was blowing through articles one after another.

It was monday morning, a week after Zelda had arrived, when I spotted a flash of light from across the pond as I was preparing to leave for my morning routine.

"Zelda wake up!" I shouted, knocking on the bedroom door.

"What? What's happened!" She said, still in her pajamas.

"There's something at the spot, it might be more statues." I said, pointing through the windows towards the glimmer of light.

Zelda didn't bother getting dressed, bolting for the door. I hurried to keep up, and found her in the passenger seat of the gator, a serious look on her face. The engine sputtered like it always did, Zelda's face tensing each time the engine sputtered out. Finally it roared alive and we bolted off down the trail around the pond.

Zelda's knuckles were white from how hard she was holding the handle bar in front of her. Her golden hair nearly blinding me as it swung in front of my face during the sharper turns.

She didn't even wait for the gator to stop, hoping off the vehicle as soon we entered the glade. Before us, were three statues all atop the same golden disk as before. This time I took notice of the symbol embossed on the golden disk. A thin horizontal groove went from one side of the disk to the other, and a thicker vertical groove intersected it, dividing the disk into four unequal raised quarters.

Atop the familiar logo was a short tree with a pair of holes for eyes, a pointed nose and a larger hole for a mouth all on the trunk of the tree. Next to the tree was a short woman with red skin and peach colored underbelly, with fins sprouting from her hips, arms, and the strange tail that emerged from the back of her head. The woman had no nose, and appeared to have the skin texture of a dolphin or seal with no body hair whatsoever.

"Mipha, it's Mipha." Zelda said, putting her hand in front of her mouth. "But.. who is that?"

The last statue stood a full head taller than me. It was a yellow, orange and red mechanical suit, with a silvery green cannon replacing the right arm, each pauldron bigger than my head.

"That, is Samus Aran."


	3. The Zora Champion Part 1

Zelda strode forward, reaching out to take Mipha's hand, frozen in outstretched position. I squinted, preparing myself for the blinding light.

Zelda's hand made contact with Mipha's, and there was no response.

"How long did it take for me to awaken?" Zelda asked.

"It was instantaneous, bright light then you were unfrozen." I said, pondering why it hadn't worked.

Perhaps it won't work for me." Zelda said, gazing at her hand.

"I'll give it a try. You should keep an eye out for any changes though, there might be some hint as to how you got here." I said.

Zelda nodded, taking a few steps away from the statues, she reached out with her hand in the statue's direction. The triforce symbol glowed on the back of her hand, the left piece glowing more prominently than the other two.

I got Zelda's confirmation that she was ready and stepped towards the statues. Reaching out, I barely grazed Mipha's hand before the change began. Mipha dissolved into a golden ball of light, while the small tree beside her bloomed into a ball of white light.

Samus twitched, then swung her arm cannon in my direction, the movement surprisingly quiet for the massive suit she wore. Time slowed to a crawl as I looked down the barrel of the cannon, a crackle of energy visible deep within the weapon. A thousand thoughts flooded through my brain, but the most overwhelming one was that my parents didn't deserve this.

Before Samus could do anything else the white and yellow balls of light struck Samus in the back.

The blinding flash of light forced me to close my eyes once more. When I opened my eyes, I was relieved to not be looking at a dangerous weapon. Though once I took in the woman in front of me, the relief turned to wariness.

She reminded me of a large carnivore, setting my hairs on end in a way I hadn't felt since my run in with a young grizzly bear. While lean, her muscles rippled with every movement, veins visible against her bright red and cream colored skin. The long tail and fins that sprouted from her head, taking the place of her hair coupled with the serrated teeth visible in her open mouth were reminiscent of a shark. The Mipha statue I had seen moments ago shared many of these traits, but this woman was at least two feet taller, at least three inches taller than myself.

All three of us were motionless.

"Princess… is it really you. When did you get so small?" The woman said.

Zelda hesitated for a fraction of a second, "Mipha, you're the one who has grown. I almost did not recognize you."They were still for a moment longer, then began to laugh, moving to grab each other's hands.

I watched the exchange in silence. My hands clutched behind my back to keep them from shaking.

"It is good to see you Princess." Mipha said, ruby lips pulling into a smile.

"It is good to see you too Mipha, I had thought you dead." Zelda said.

Mipha's smile faded, "So did I. I… I remember dying. I was trapped for so long, until Link saved me." A contemplative look crossed her face, the six raised spots making up her brow furrowing. "The other champions and I were able to weaken Ganon enough that Link was able to finish him off. With our work finished, we were ready to.. Move on."

"Calamity Ganon was destroyed?" Zelda asked.

"Yes Princess, you haven't lost your memory as well have you? You were there in the final moments, you fired upon him to help Link," Mipha said.

Zelda turned her head to stare at me, "Just like in the videos." Her voice was low enough that I could barely make out what she said. "Oh, excuse me. Mipha, this is Ranger Fossil. Ranger Fossil, this is Princess Mipha of the Zora tribe. Ranger Fossil has been housing me this past week and assisting in my research of the situation we find ourselves in." Zelda said as she stepped to the side.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Princess," I said, internally debating whether to bow or not.

"It is nice to meet you as well. I thank you Ranger Fossil, for helping Princess Zelda." Mipha turned to look at me, and it was at this point I realized that beyond the blue sash and jewelry she wore, she was naked. Her cream colored breasts were larger than they were depicted in the game, and where the game had shown smooth flesh, very human-like nipples were clearly visible. I wasn't sure if the games had simply left out Zora nipples and genitalia for the sake of making the games family friendly. My question was answered by Zelda noticing as well.

"Mipha, your chest! Fossil look away." Zelda ordered, her royal attitude making itself apparent.

Before I turned away I saw Mipha's cheeks turn bright red. "This is… How did?" Mipha stammered. The feeling that she was a dangerous predator vanished somewhere amongst her stammering.

"I'll go on my patrol, meet you both back at the house later?" I said, desperate to get away.

"That would be best," Zelda replied from behind me and I departed from the glade.

My heart was still racing as I made it to the docks. It hadn't been my first time dealing with someone hostile and armed while working as a Ranger, but it had been my first time looking down the barrel of a weapon.

I hopped off the gator, taking slow deep breaths, calming myself as best I could. The sound of water rocking the empty dock acted like a metronome that I timed my breaths to.

I stood there on the sandy beach, wind tugging at my jacket.

Once my heart was no longer trying to escape my rib cage, I began to organize my thoughts.

The idea that there was a non human sapient from another dimension in my home right now was jarring. I had a lot of questions, most of which neither Zelda nor Mipha could likely answer. The most important one was if this would keep happening.

There were countless others, and I mulled them over as much as I could.

The cold started to creep its way into my thick beard, compelling me to move on with my patrol. It was a little after noon when I returned to the ranch, kicking mud off of my boots and stepping through the front door.

Mipha was on the couch across from the front door, bundled up in blankets. When she saw me she turned away, pulling her head into the blankets and blushed. Her head tail was caught on the back of the couch and stuck straight up in the air, before Mipha adjusted and pulled it under the blankets.

"How was your patrol?" Zelda asked, she was seated next to the blushing Zora, steaming mug in her hands.

"Uneventful, even with the mild winter no one has been coming this far out." I said, taking off my boots and coat.

"Ranger Fossil," Mipha said, lifting her head from the blankets, "I'd.. I'd like to apologize for my indecency earlier. My body has… changed when I arrived here. I did not realize the extent of which at first."

I waved my hand, "I'm sorry for staring. No worries though, I worked at a clothing optional beach long enough that nudity doesn't phase me. I almost didn't notice."

Both Zelda and Mipha were blushing now, making me wonder what Hylian attitudes around nudity were.

"Sooo, Zelda has explained everything, yes?" I said, changing topics.

"Yes! Yes I did." Zelda said, apparently happy with the distraction.

"I informed Mipha about the nature of this world, and she was able to give us some more clues as to the circumstances of our arrival here." Her face fell, "We are no closer to finding a way home however."

"Hyrule is safe Princess, you must not forget that. We can afford to take our time." Mipha said, resting a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "That is, if you are willing to extend your hospitality to me as well Ranger Fossil."

"Of course," I said, "As part of my job I'm allowed to have people on the island, friends, family, significant others. Given that I just met you, I'm bending the rules a litte, but unless you damaged the island or made a huge mess, I won't be challenged on it."

"I would do no such thing, I assure you. The Zora tribe are guardians of nature, that you dedicate your life to similar cause is admirable." Mipha said softly.

"That's another reason why I wouldn't force you to leave. Earth, this world doesn't have other sapient life like the Zora, as far as we are aware. You'd be noticed as non-human instantly and although many humans would have no problem with you, some would be hostile, enough that you would be under constant threat."

Mipha glanced down at her hand, at the fin that sprouted from her skin halfway down her forearm. "So I've traded one prison for another then."

"No, we will find a way for you to explore beyond the island. You said our story was well known Fossil, couldn't Mipha simply pretend to be a human dressed as herself?" Zelda said.

"That isn't.." I paused, "You know, that actually might work. There is a convention in a city nearby where people dress up like characters, sometime next month. I'll look up the exact info, but it could be a good opportunity for both of you to go see the big city. We might have to dress Mipha up a little to make her appearance seem like a costume, but it should be no problem."

Mipha smiled, apparently content with idea.

"There is another matter we need to address. My observations when you touched the statues." Zelda said, looking at me with a serious look on her face. "Right before Mipha appeared, there was light that struck you Fossil. Similar to the light that Mipha and the tree had become."

"That's.. A little concerning." I admitted, "I didn't feel anything or feel any different now, though it is good to know that I should keep an eye out. Did you notice how the colors differed as well?" Zelda nodded, Mipha had a confused look on her face, "Zelda had become a red light when I touched her statue, the tree was white, you were gold when I touched your statue." I explained to Mipha.

"You believe there is a pattern," Mipha said.

"Maybe, but we won't know until more people appear, if they appear." I said.

"There isn't much more we can do except wait. I wasn't able to detect anything new when Mipha was awakened." Zelda said.

"I do have a request, if it isn't too much. Zelda mentioned true to life recordings of our lives, 'Videos'?" She looked to Zelda for confirmation, who nodded. "I'd like to see them."

I thought back to how I had handled the game videos the first time. "That should be possible, but.. Um.. there might be some private stuff on them. How about I just show you the videos about yourself, and if Zelda is comfortable with it, she can share the videos about herself that she wants to share."

They agreed and I pulled up a video compilation of all the scenes with Mipha in them from Breath of the Wild. I gave Mipha a quick run through of how to pause and resume the video and Zelda and I stepped outside to give Mipha space.

"How are you holding up?" I asked as we walked through the dead grass and mud.

"Fine, I'm fine." Zelda said.

"You can tell me, I won't judge." I said.

Zelda sighed, "My friend is alive, a miracle has happened. That is what is important right now."

We paused at the fence surrounding the structures that made up the ranch. It was falling apart in places, wooden beams split down the middle, or the notches at the ends rotted until they fell out of the posts. It still served its purpose for now, but it was halfway gone.

"If you want to talk, I'll be here to listen." I said.

Zelda nodded. Both of us continued to look out over the meadow.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE HE READ MY DIARY!" Mipha's voice boomed from the house behind us.

Zelda gave me a questioning glance. I bit my lip, "I'll leave it up to her if she wants to share."

"Link read her diary didn't he." Zelda said, an amused look on her face.

"I can neither confirm, nor deny such allegations." I said grinning. "I wish the games gave more indicatition to what Link's personality was, some of the stuff you can do seems so out of character."

Zelda froze, "OUR STORIES ARE A GAME?" She shouted.


	4. The Zora Champion Part 2

Zelda claimed it was for clues to how they got here.

Mipha wanted to know how much I, a stranger, knew about her life.

I was fairly certain both of them were curious about what the game actually was.

No matter the real reason, I relented to them and agreed to pick up my copy of Breath of the Wild and my console from storage the next day. We also decided that Mipha needed some clothes that could fit around her fins, as she was stuck using a blanket as a robe for the time being.

The Princesses shared my bedroom, leaving me to continue sleeping on the couch. I could hear their voices from my bedroom, muffled by the door to the point I couldn't make out the words. They were still talking when I finally drifted off to sleep.

The pattering of rain against the window woke me up just before my alarm would have, heavy clouds obscuring the soft morning light. I sat up, yawning and stretching my arms wide. Walking to the kitchen, I pulled open the fridge to consider breakfast options.

"Good morning Fossil."

I bounced in place, startled by the early morning presence.

"Sorry! I did not mean to scare you." Mipha said, standing up from the kitchen chair.

I waved her off, "Just startled, I didn't expect you to be awake so early. Sounded like you and Zelda had a lot of catching up to do."

She shifted the blanket wrapped around her, "My people do not sleep as much as humans. Though the Princess will likely be asleep for a while longer, we were up far too late."

"I hope she sleeps in, she pushes herself too hard." I said, gesturing at the bed room door.

Mipha nodded, "She is dedicated to her role, to caring for her people before herself." Mipha gave me an appraising glance, "Why did you become a Ranger?"

"Ah, that requires some context. How about I start making some breakfast and I'll tell you as I go. Can the Zora people eat the same foods as humans?"

"As far as I'm aware. We mostly eat fish, though grass based foods are toxic if we eat too much." Mipha said.

I paused, eyes darting from shelves to pantry to fridge. "So, that is a good start for why I became a Ranger." I said as I pulled a sack of potatoes from my pantry. "Corn is in almost everything we eat in this country. It is turned into a syrup and added to tons of foods to act as a filler or make them more sugary or filling. The sheer amount of corn we eat is causing a lot of health issues. As well the amount of fertilizer used in growing corn is causing environmental issues down river, algal blooms, fish die offs and more. Even worse, this is just one of hundreds, if not thousands of environmental issues that is pushing this planet towards environmental collapse."

I pulled out the olive oil while heating up a frying pan. "When I was little I wanted to save the environment. I figured that if I studied hard and applied myself, I could come up with solutions to all the world's problems. Then I learned more, and realized how messy and complicated each of the problems were. You try to stop over producing corn, you spend a lifetime fighting those who benefit from doing so, and you risk other consequences. For a while I gave up on my dreams of helping the world at large and just focused on making enough money to get by."

I paused, "Then, then I had the worst year of my life. I realized I couldn't just sit by anymore, found this job and have held on tight. It might not be saving the world, but I can protect this little corner of it."

I went silent, focused on slicing the potatoes and onions into chunks.

"No one person is responsible for stopping evil by themselves, or saving the world." Mipha said, her jewelry jingling as she approached me. "Fossil.. I.."

She was interrupted by Zelda making her way into the kitchen. "What are the two of you doing up at this horrid hour?" She said, scowling.

"Well good morning to you too Princess, want some coffee?" I said, tossing the potatoes into the frying pan.

"Yes, yes I would please," Zelda said, grumbling as she marched out of my cramped kitchen to the living room.

Mipha was watching the exchange with a bemused expression on your face. "It is strange, seeing you act in that manner with the Princess. Had you done so in Hyrule you would have been fined for acting so disrespectfully."

"Thank goodness we're not in Hyrule." I said, chuckling. "Fined though? I kind of expected the punishment to be thrown in a dungeon."

"If the Hylians were so savage we would not have allied with them." Mipha said, a little bit of irritation entering her voice.

"I believe you, I believe you," I said, putting my hands up in surrender. "This country was founded on the rejection of monarchy, so our education doesn't include the proper etiquette for talking with princesses. I'm sorry for any cultural clashing, I don't mean any disrespect."

I put the kettle on, before returning to the potatoes. "You were going to say something? Before Zelda graced us with her presence." I said, grinning mischievously.

"It doesn't matter. Though I was wondering, how soon will you be able to purchase those clothing items?" Mipha said, eyes cast down in embarrassment, "I'd like to not rely on this blanket to hide my new... parts."

I assured her that after breakfast I would go straight to the days errands.

We spent the next twenty minutes chatting about the differences between her world and my own while I cooked the potatoes. Zelda had fallen back asleep on the couch, only waking up and joining us once the coffee was ready.

The three of us had breakfast in the living room, the kitchen too small for more than two people to eat comfortably. Between bites, Zelda caught me up on her plan to continue research on interdimensional travel. She insisted that Mipha's arrival meant further travel must be possible. Mipha's look seemed to suggest she had some doubts, but she didn't voice them outloud.

With breakfast finished, I gathered up supplies for my journey to the mainland while Zelda introduce Mipha to the internet. So far they had stuck to wikipedia and research papers at my insistence, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they ventured beyond that.

The rain had lessened when I got to my boat and all together vanished by the time I made it to the dock. I waved at Peter through the office window as I passed by and hopped into my car for the drive into town.

Picking up my Switch, tv and copy of Breath of the Wild went smoothly. I briefly considered loading some of my extra furniture into the van, but decided to just bring my two person sleeping bag.

Shopping for Mipha went nowhere near as smoothly.

"So you don't know your friends bust size, waist size or hip size and you promised you'd get them a swimsuit today." The clerk said.

"I… yep. That is exactly what I did." I said, wincing. The clerk gave me an exasperated stare. "She's maybe 6'2, 6'3. Athletic build, maybe D cup, if that helps any."

The clerk sighed and motioned me to follow her. "She is likely in this range of sizes, you can return whichever ones don't fit." She said in such a way that sounded like it was read off of a script. The clerk left me to it. I picked out a half dozen swim suits of different colors and shapes, not sure which would fit best or that Mipha would like most.

On my way back I stopped by the grocery store, taking note of what didn't contain grass products. A fishing permit was looking more and more appealing by the second and I hoped Mipha herself was a skilled fisherwoman.

It was early afternoon by the time I returned to the ranch, laden with grocery and shopping bags as I push open the front door.

"Fossil! Your back. How… How was your errands, were your errands, excuse me." Zelda said hastily, slamming my laptop closed so quickly that I was worried it might crack. Mipha was on the couch next to her, peeking out from below the blanket.

"Good… Find anything interesting on the internet?" I asked, glancing at the laptop.

"No, no, nothing notable." Zelda said, "How about Mipha tries on her new clothes?"

"Good idea Princess," Mipha said, bolting over to me, taking the bag of clothing and fleeing to the bathroom.

I glanced between the bathroom door and the flushed princess attempting to look nonchalant on the couch. "Right, anyway I got the game. Did you want to look into it now, or continue your… research?"

"Now is good," Zelda said.

I set up the television in my living room, plugged in the switch and booted it up.

Just as I finished with the set up, Mipha came out of the bathroom, no longer swaddled in a blanket. "Only one fit." She was wearing the red string bikini, chosen for how closely the color matched her own red coloration. It was barely visible against her skin, save for where it clung between her well toned thighs and supported her cream colored breasts. "It feels a bit.. Strange." she said, looking down at herself.

I had to pull my eyes away from her striking form to look at her face, "I'm glad one fits, I'll return the rest and get a few more in that size and make. Do you want different colors?"

Mipha shook her head, then noticed what I had been working on. "Is the game ready?"

"Should be good to go, which of you wants to play?" I asked, holding the controller out.

Zelda glanced at Mipha, then took the controller, "I'd like to try, if that is alright with you Mipha."

Mipha agreed, settling down on the couch next to the princess.

I instructed Zelda on what buttons to press, having her start a new file and launch the game.

From the moment Link awakened in game, the two women were enthralled. It took a little coaching on my part, but Zelda quickly picked up the controls and set about exploring the Great Plateau.

I left them to it, retreating to the kitchen to clean up, put away groceries and prepare dinner. Neither of them noticed that I had taken my laptop.

Pulling up the browser history, I chuckled to myself when I saw what the princesses had been looking at. Nothing explicit like I first imagined, but they had most recently looked up quite a few pictures of Link in suggestive positions.

It might have been a little patronizing that I turned on safesearch before handing it over to them, but I didn't think they were ready for unfiltered internet quite yet.

Cooking dinner was a slow affair. I double checked every ingredient, making certain it wasn't grass based, nor were any of the additives. It was probably overkill, but Mipha seemed like the type to understate how dangerous that sort of food was to her.

Finally dinner was ready. Zelda was rather somber at dinner, Mipha explaining that she had just had the conversation with her father the King of Hyrule in game, or rather his spirit. She perked up afterwards, when I mentioned that both Impa and Purah were still alive.

The pair returned to the game after dinner, until I finally kicked them out of the living room so I could sleep.

The following day I went back to return the extra swimwear and pick up more pairs of the style that fit Mipha.

The rest of my day off was far less extraordinary than my life had been the past week or so. With the princesses playing the game, I wasn't in a rush to get home. Instead I stayed in town and caught up with some friends. It was late by the time I returned, the princesses still gaming. Mipha was gushing over what an amazing young man her brother Prince Sidon had grown up to be.

Thursday morning felt off. My first day of the work week always started a little rough, but my body felt exhausted in a way I hadn't felt in months.

Mipha was awake when I departed, mentioning that she was going to swim in the pond now that there wouldn't be any other rangers on the island that day. I kept my sense of discomfort to myself, wishing her a good swim.

My daily patrol around the island started off like any other, but I couldn't shake the sense of unease that hung around me.

Halfway through my patrol my work phone rang.

"Hey Fossil, where are you right now?" Peter said over the phone.

"North side of the Island, why?" I said.

"Some boaters reported something out on Oak Island, come swing by the office and we'll check it out." Peter said.

A tingle shot down my spine, which I promptly ignored.

"On my way, they give any details?" I asked, getting ready to leave as soon as the call was over.

"They said the trees were blackened, might have been a fire out there."

"Alright, I'll see you soon." I said, flexing my hand.

I ended the call and took off for my boat. The water was choppy, each wave cause the boat slam hard against the water surface, pounding my guts like a drum.

The days were getting longer, but by the time I arrived at the office, picked up Peter and made it to Oak Island, the sun was low on the horizon.

Tying off the boat to a shoreline tree, we could already spot what the boaters reported on.

The trees were black.

Not the char black of burnt wood either. They were a sickly oily black, that looked almost purple in the right lighting. All were leafless. Given the season it wasn't surprising at first, until I realized half of the trees here were evergreens.

Violet spikes ruptured from the tree bark in places, appearing more like blades than anything organic. The spikes were varied in length, no more than a couple inches. Knives carving away the trees from the inside.

The whole glade made me sick to look at, for reasons I couldn't discern.

Peter walked to the edge of the affected patch and fiddled with his hat.

"You ever see something like this?" He asked. If the stories Peter told at the end of closing shifts were any indication, the man had seen everything the job could throw at us. That he didn't know what this was made my stomach tighten further.

I meant to answer, but hesitated.

Something flitted in the midst of the wrongness. Somewhere in the twisting roots of the blackened trees. It was barely visible between the trunks and the long shadows of the evening. Not an animal. Certainly not a person.

Almost like an eyelid twitching.

A whisper in the back of my mind, a forgotten memory hidden in the dark.

My skin felt like it was on fire and some deep part of my brain screamed at me to climb into the boat and leave this place as fast as I could.

"No," I said, just now remembering Peter's question.

"What do you think it is." Peter said, walking closer. The twigs cracked under his boots, echoing across the beach. No birds sang, only the the water lapping on the shore competed with the sound of his boots.

My ear drums burned, the biting ache of pressure change. Amidst the pain, a voice crawled its way into my brain.

"Get him away or he dies," the voice said, sounding of rattling tree branches.

"Peter, don't.. don't touch it." I said, wincing in pain.

Peter paused, and I gingerly began pulling out my phone, "I'll take a few photos and send it to some of my contacts. They'll know what it is." He didn't seem to notice my pained expression.

Peter nodded, "Right, could be toxic. We should check on it every few days to make sure it isn't spreading while we wait to hear back."

"Don't let him return." The voice demanded, a wet sound mixed in with the dry rattling.

The pain was less than the first time it spoke, even so I rolled my jaw to try and relieve the awful pressure building within my skull.

"I can do it, it'll be quicker than picking you up each time and I don't have much to do in the Winter." I said, as casually as possible, hoping it would appease the hostile voice.

"Just stay on the boat till we get confirmation it isn't a health hazard. I'll post a notice that boaters should steer clear, for the ones who actually check that sort of thing."

He chuckled at that, but I was too focused on what the voice was whispering to laugh along, "Good work my servant, ensure none know of my presence." It whispered, the pressure leaving as its last word trailed into silence.

I took a few photos of the eldritch phenomenon before me, hoping the photos themselves wouldn't upset whatever thing had spoken to me.

I tried not to vomit, nauseated as I was, stumbling back to the boat.

"You okay? Looking a little pale there Fossil." Peter said.

I waved him off, "My ears just popped, probably a pressure front. I'll be fine." I yawned to emphasize my point.

Peter gave me a concerned glace, then looked to the horizon, "They say there might be snow tomorrow, might be that. How about I pilot the boat back, you send those photos."

I nodded, not trusting myself to talk again.

I spent the ride back pretending to email my supposed contacts, while thinking back on what had just happened.

Something else had come into this world besides the Princesses, something that didn't want to be known to others, and was willing to kill to keep itself secret. Something that wanted me to do its bidding.

Which led to the uncomfortable truth.

If I wanted to make sure no one got hurt, I'd have to go back.


	5. The Zora Champion Part 3

"Fossil, are you alright?" Zelda said.

"Hmm, sorry, what did you say?" I said, nearly dropping my fork.

"You've been quiet ever since you got back, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, something came up at work today, can't stop thinking about it." I said.

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Mipha said.

"I don't mind, but it.. It might be confidential. I'll ask tomorrow if I can share what happened." I hated to lie to them, but it was far better than the alternative.

"In any case, how was your swim in the pond?" I asked.

The two of them shared a glance, clearly not falling for my redirect. "It was nice, you've done a good job taking care of the pond. I went to the river as well, but it wasn't as pleasant. It tasted wrong, like ash and swamp water. I needed a shower afterwards to clean off my gills." Mipha said, lifting up her arms to expose the long slits that ran between her ribs.

"Yeah, this river is especially bad. There are a few coal plants up river, which probably is where the taste comes from. One of the cleanest rivers in the world is in this region though, we could go there on my days off if you'd like that. We'd have to do that soon, before the weather gets nicer and people stop hiding indoors." I said, noting how the edges of Mipha's gills looked agitated.

"Yes please. I don't know how humans could let things get so bad, do they not see the harm of their actions?" Anger crept into her voice as she dropped her arms back down to her side.

"You are preaching to the choir, when I was working at different parks part of my job was to inform the public about the state of the river and how to help. If we can't find a way home soon for you two, we can look into ways that you can do something. A Zora advocating for water system restoration could be really effective, if we can find a good way to introduce you to the public."

Mipha seemed frustrated, but relented. "On the subject of getting home, I went back to the glade while you were gone and noticed something." Zelda said, "The feeling of something approaching, or counting down was back. If I had to guess, it will end a week after Mipha appeared and two weeks after I did."

"So next Monday someone else will show up?"

"Most likely, I want to stay up and observe the event. It might be possible to travel back through whatever sent us here." Zelda said.

I nodded, mind drifting to Oak Island. Did the thing out there come the week prior to Zelda?

From there we moved to idle conversation. Zelda told me about how far she had made it into Breath of the Wild, and Mipha took every opportunity to mention how grown up her brother had become.

Eventually we all retreated to bed. Sleep didn't come easily for me. Instead I laid awake long into the night, thinking about the entity on Oak Island, and dreading my return there.

My phone alarm droned from where it was perched near my head. I let it continue, desperately hoping to sleep more, but ultimately decided not to risk waking Zelda.

Mipha was already awake, watching the snow fall from the kitchen window. I made myself a simple breakfast while we discussed what sort of fish were in the river.

Soon enough, I was trudging my way through the snow. Any other day, I'd be in awe of the freshly fallen snow, blanketing the forest and meadow in softly glowing white. Since moving out here, I had been looking forward to the wintery weather, but the moment was tarnished.

The seconds crept by, the ride to my boat feeling like an eternity, piloting my boat to Oak island even longer. At last I got close enough to see the place. Blackened trees jutted out through the snowy haze, like a charred corpse, ribs exposed.

I didn't even make it to the shore before the weight of the entities' presence feel upon me. Just as before, my skull felt like it was ready to burst. A horrible idea popped into my head, that the creature was somehow reading my mind, pushing itself into my brain to learn what I knew. If such a thing was the case, the creature made no indication at my thinking of the idea.

Tying off the boat, I climbed onto the sandy shore.

Only then did I realize I was shivering, the heavy coat that had kept me warm on the ride over offered no protection here. The cold itself felt unnatural, alive and unwelcoming.

Standing, gazing at the unsettling patch of corrupted vegetation, shivering in the swirling snow, I waited.

And waited.

"So, what's your deal then?" I said, my words muffled by the snow.

"You kept my presence secret, good. Now we can discuss our deal in full." The voice wasn't as painful as it had been the day before. It was more resonant, less like the hollow wood and more like groaning trees.

A sense of deja vu washed over me, growing ever stronger as the seconds ticked on.

"Deal? What deal? I meant that as an expression not an offer to make a deal." I said hastily, regretting my choice of words.

"Our deal was already made, the truth of it hidden from your mind until the attention of my wretched enemy passed from this world."

The pressure lightened, down to a pain behind my eyes. With it gone, memories came into sharp focus. Two deals I had made with beings of unimaginable power, one with Galeem.

The other with the creature before me.

"Dharkon," I whispered, knot in my stomach twisting tighter.

"Good, you remember. Minds can be fragile, it would be an annoyance to find a replacement for you."

The glowing blue eye I had only glimpsed traces of previously now rose from the copse of trees. It hovered, glaring down at me. At least as tall as I was, I could see no reflection, no warmth in its unerring gaze.

"So there is no doubt, the deal we made was an exchange. You promised to assist me until my war against Galeem was done. In exchange I would grant you a fraction of my power."

What I thought was a tree ripped itself from the ground, moving with an unearthly swiftness towards my face. I didn't even have a chance to flinch before the crystal like spur tapped my forehead.

The world turned grey.

All pain was gone, almost all sensation, gone.

Nothing but a bleak grey landscape.

And Dharkon.

In their place was a writhing black sphere, swirling like a fire caught in a tornado.

A new sensation grew within me, a pull. Towards that black void.

I resisted, not sure what would happen if I approached.

All at once, color was back. A tree sized tentacle tipped with a violet crystal hovering in front of my face and the increasingly familiar pain Dharkon's presence brought.

"What was that?" I gasped, slumping to my knees.

"My boon. You can become a spirit, able to possess individuals or vast armies as I can."

I was all but panting, the transition from spirit to physical form left me feeling like I had run a marathon.

Before I could catch my breath Dharkon spoke again, "My end of the deal is done. Use any means necessary to keep my presence secret from this world. When the last champion Galeem has gifted you arrives, I will launch my attack. You will follow and have the champions join the battle at my side, willingly or under your control. Understand my servant?" I nodded, thankful the pressure had subsided.

"What can I tell the..the champions?" I asked.

"It does not matter, so long as none act against me. If anyone does so, I will subsume this reality, just as Galeem will surely do if it is victorious. Now leave me, do not return until the final battle." The pressure rose, driving me to my feet and away from the island as fast as possible.

It wasn't until the island had vanished in the snow that I felt relief from Dharkon's presence.

I heaved my stomach's contents over the side of the boat. Between painful gasps, I managed to pilot back to the place I kept my boat.

I was barely cognizant as I drove back to the ranch. Vision blurring in and out as I made my way through the snow.

When I finally made it through the front door I was violently shivering, swimming in stressed induced sweat and stained with bile.

Mipha and Zelda stood up from the couch, rushing over to me. The house felt warm, really warm, uncomfortably so. Mipha said something, did something with her hands to produce a glow, but I couldn't make out the words.

Darkness started to creep in the corners of my vision and the princess' words sounded like they were underwater. I tried to warn them I was on the edge of passing out, but my mouth felt like it was filled with cotton.

It was Zelda's voice that brought me back to consciousness.

"His fever is getting better," Zelda said, pulling her hand from my forehead.

"It's strange, a fever was never a problem for my healing." Mipha said softly from the other side of my bedroom.

"It might be this world, Fossil said that magic doesn't exist here. The Goddess' blessings might not have the same strength as they do in Hyrule."

"Perhaps." Mipha said.

"I have some theories." I rasped. My throat was drier than I had thought.

"Fossil, you're awake." Zelda said.

"I'll get you some water," Mipha said, rushing from the room.

She returned and brought the glass to my lips. My throat felt raw, but relieved at the cool water.

Sitting upright, I noticed I was no longer wearing my uniform, but my pajamas instead. "How long was I out?" I said.

"You passed out two days ago. You'd wake up from time to time, but what you said, it didn't make any sense. Whatever afflicted you resisted my healing." Mipha said, perched on the side of my bed.

"One of the other rangers stopped by to check on you. She said to take you to a hospital, at which point you woke up and insisted that we shouldn't take you anywhere." Zelda said, sitting down on the other side of the bed. "Fossil, the stuff you said. It was frightening. Do you remember any of the past two days?"

"I don't, I remember walking in, feeling a blackout approaching and then waking up just now." I said, feeling remarkably better. "I think I know why I passed out, and why you two are here."

Zelda and Mipha shared a glance, "You said as such, a few times." Zelda said.

"Yeah," I said, not certain where to begin.

I had apparently been silent too long, "Well? Why are we here Fossil?" Zelda said.

"He's been through a lot princess, give him time, perhaps you should sleep more Fossil." Mipha said.

"No, you need to know." I paused, mind racing for a way to minimize the embarrassing implications.

"So...so so so." I mumbled, "So imagine you are asleep and in your dreams a being you think is only a fictional character comes up to you and says 'hey, I'm giving away these video game characters, want about nine of them as a harem. I'll throw in some powers to make them stay with you and spirits to influence their form and personality.' And you, thinking this is only a dream and not having any impact on real life, say 'sure, I'd love to have a harem of attractive women, this is an awesome dream.' Then a second guy comes up to you and says 'hey, I'll give you the power to possess people in exchange for help killing that other guy.' And you say 'sure, I'd love to experience life through other people's eyes, this is only a dream, so the terrifying moral implications don't matter.' And the guy continues, 'oh, by the way, I'm gonna wipe your memory of all this so you don't accidently spill my plan, that cool?' And you're like 'sounds great.'"

Zelda's face was looking increasingly pale, while Mipha face was of surprise.

"So you forget the dream, go about your day. Find a statue or two and even as the contents of the dream play out in real life, you don't remember. Not until you meet the second guy, who turns out to be a cosmic horror named Dharkon, that may or may not be able to read minds and is currently on an island just down river from here, who then proceeds to give you the power to possess people, reminds you it wasn't all a dream and demands that you help him kill the other guy, who is also a cosmic horror named Galeem, or else your entire universe will be devoured. And if Dharkon dies, Galeem will devour your entire universe for helping Dharkon. Then you go home, and pass out due to the stress of a cosmic horror forcing a portion of its power into your mortal body, and the realization that your actions will decide the fate of your entire reality."

I took a deep breath, watching closely for the two princesses' response. Zelda was swaying slightly in place. Mipha seemed to notice as well, and intervened, setting a hand on Zelda's shoulder, "Thank you for that... interesting summary of events, we need more details though, right Princess?"

Zelda nodded stiffly, not looking me in the eye. That slight gesture hurt more than I cared to admit.

"If the game they are from is an accurate depiction of what happened, then Galeem has almost complete control over the dimension they are both from. There was a final stand, where all but one fighter who stood against Galeem was defeated, captured, and used to create duplicates of the fighters under the control of spirits, taken from those destroyed in Galeem's dimensional conquest. Only instead of scattering the fighters and spirits throughout the conquered worlds like in the game, it seems that Galeem scattered them across other dimensions as well. Once all the spirits and fighters that will be sent here arrive, Dharkon is going to launch an attack, and expects all of us to fight alongside them."

"We weren't at that last battle, were we?" Zelda said softly. "The creature alters memories, was it us facing off against Galeem?"

"No, a different Zelda was, but neither of you." I said.

"And Hyrule, it was one of the worlds conquered?" I nodded to Zelda's question.

"We're dead then? Spirits possessing the warriors who fought that creature?" Mipha said.

Words failed me, I sought a comforting lie, but couldn't bring myself to speak it. "I think you might have died, err again, the game wasn't clear if Galeem killed people or turned people into a spirit form. The bodies you are possessing are probably copies though, I don't think they are sentient, so you can keep living in them." I said, trying to sound hopeful.

"If Galeem is destroyed, and this Dharkon doesn't betray us." Zelda said, "I spent my entire life preparing for Ganon and these… these things I'd never heard of destroy everything." She hissed the words out, jaw held tight.

I flinched, tension growing in my neck.

Zelda continued, "These last two weeks, all that work, my entire life was all for nothing. Everyone I knew gave their lives for nothing." She finally turned to me, eyes filled with fury, "And we were spared to be your prize? Because you find us attractive?"

"I thought it was a dream, an idle fantasy." I said, keeping my voice as calm as I could.

"And that makes it okay?"

"Yes! If I had known it was real.." I was cut off.

"Well it is real," Zelda was shouting, face flushed with anger. "Tell me Fossil, how does it make you feel to have two Princesses dependent on you?"

"Is this what you wanted?" She stood up from the bed, hers fists clenched at her sides.

Her blue eyes had a hardness I never thought I'd see, appearing every bit the imperious queen she could have become in another life. When I failed to answer her questions, she swept out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I felt raw, my thoughts muddled, looping.

Mipha and I sat in silence, both of us seemingly unsure what to say.

"I don't mean to speak for the Princess, she.. She likely doesn't mean what she said. This news was just too much, too quickly." Mipha said.

"She isn't wrong though." I said, looking down at my hands, "The fantasy of powerful women being dependent on me is appealing. That's probably why Galeem chose to send you to me. Why it gave me powers to keep you from wanting to leave."

"You mentioned that earlier, what did you mean?" Mipha asked, brows furrowed.

I took a moment, feeling sensations that I had only been awoken to two days prior. "Every new fighter sent here is giving me abilities, probably facets of Galeem's own powers. The fighter you are possessing a copy of is a bounty hunter. If I'm interpreting this right, you are allowing me to draw unawakened spirits and fighters to me, albeit very slowly. Zelda is possessing a copy of a fighter who trains monsters for combat and is giving me the ability to send out a dopamine rush to those I've 'awakened' when they follow my commands."

"Dopamine? I'm not familiar with the word."

I considered giving her a demonstration, but decided against it, "A chemical that is a part of the pleasure responses of the brain. Among other things."

"Oh.. I see." Mipha said.

The silence stretched between us, snow quietly drifting past the window in the fading light of day.

"It seems we don't have much choice. We must prepare for the coming battle, even if there is no Hyrule to return to afterwards."

I nodded, a wave of guilt churning my insides.

"Fossil," Mipha set her hand on my shoulder, I could feel the strength in her grip despite how gently she touched me. "Before I arrived here, I believed my time among the living was done. Now I know there are worlds beyond what I knew. Tomorrow..Tomorrow may bring better tidings. Even knowing what I do now, I still think of you as a good man for all you've done for me and the Princess."

"I'm not feeling like much of a good anything right now." I said.

"You could have kept the truth from us." Mipha said.

"No, I couldn't have." I sighed. "It might be a bad idea, but I really want a drink right now. Want one? You're of age right?"

"Fossil, I'm over one hundred years old. And does that sort of thing matter in times like these," Mipha smiled faintly.

"I suppose you're right." I sniffed at the air, "Actually, shower first. Then drinks."

I grabbed a towel and set of clothing, then peaked into the kitchen, only to discover that Zelda had gone outside while we had talked. Mipha left the house to find her, returning a minute later for blankets, explaining that Zelda wanted time alone and was taking shelter in the machine shed.

While Mipha delivered the blankets and talked with Zelda, I went to take a shower. They weren't back by the time I was finished, so I looked through my liquor cabinet for things that didn't have any corn, wheat, barley or other grasses. I found a fruit vodka that seemed safe and poured a pair of shot glasses for us.

When Mipha returned I handed her a glass. "I feel like we should say a toast after everything." I said.

"This doesn't feel like the right time to me," Mipha said, hesitated, then said, "To tomorrow."

"To tomorrow," I repeated and downed my shot, with Mipha following suit.

"That was quite good, surprisingly so even," Mipha said.

"Really?" I said, pouring us both another glass, "Glad you like it, it's a favorite of mine, an ex girlfriend got me hooked on it."

"Hmph," Mipha mumbled, a pinched look on her face. I raised an eye brow at her inquisitively.

Zelda came bursting through the front door, bundled in blankets, teeth chattering. She glared as if challenging me to comment on her state. "The heat is on full blast in my room," I said, before sipping my drink.

She didn't say anything, but marched straight for my room, shutting the door behind her.

"She's still angry with me I see." I said with a sigh, collapsing onto the couch.

"The princess is angry with the situation more than you." Mipha sat next to me on the couch, pulling close as if to draw heat from me. I wondered idly if Zora were warm blooded or cold blooded.

"It is a pretty fucked up situation." I said, downing my second glass and pouring my third from the bottle I had brought with me. "I'm sorry, I've been trying to hold back on swearing around you."

"Vulgarity doesn't offend me Fossil. We just learned that we are at war, if there is ever a time for it, it is now." She gestured her empty glass to me, which I promptly filled. I had never been this close to her before now, I could see the finer details of her skin. Her dorsal skin, where colored red, seemed to have a fine coating of scales and when I brushed her hand to refill her glass, I discovered it felt somewhat rough like that of a sharks. The peach colored skin however was smooth, glossy, and seemed almost unreal, resembling that of a dolphins.

"How are you holding up Mipha?" I asked, taking a close look at her face. Her golden eyes were larger than those of a similarly sized human, while her lips seemed small comparatively.

"I am, coping. So much has changed in only a week. In some ways, it makes me hopeful things will change for the better. We could find the treasure of the Hero of Time and undo the destruction by Galeem, or use the string theory the princess was researching to find a Hyrule untouched by Galeem, or Calamity Ganon."

I thought to all the different powers, artefacts and abilities shown by characters included in the smash brothers franchise, if they existed, surely a way of fixing this mess was possible.

"That is a good way of thinking about it, probably healthier than my coping strategy." I said, downing another shot. I held off pouring a fourth, setting the bottle and my glass on the coffee table in front of us.

In the time I was leaning forward, Mipha had draped her arm across the couch such that when I sat back up, her arm was snug around my shoulders.

I turned to face Mipha, only for her to lean towards me, pulling me close until our chins rested on each other's shoulders. Her fin brushed against my cheek as she held me tight.

"Mipha?" I said questioningly.

"I spent so long thinking of what I'd do differently, given the chance. I'm not going to make the same mistakes again." Mipha said softly.

She leaned back, ruby lips in a gentle smile, looking me in the eyes for a brief moment, before her cheeks flushed and she looked anywhere but my face.

I couldn't help but grin at how adorable she looked. "Is this you asking me out on a date?"

"No! I mean, yes, maybe?" A panicked look entered her eyes, "I don't want you to think of me as a coquette. I'm merely saying if you were considering courting me, I wouldn't be… entirely...opposed."

"Mipha, would you like to go on a date?" I said, leaning to the side to catch her eyes.

"Yes! Yes, I would like that very much." Mipha said the excitement clear in her eyes.

"We can go on my next day off. In two days actually, wow time flies when you blackout for two days."

Mipha giggled, "Sounds lovely."

"I know I mentioned it before, but there's probably going to be some culture clash so I'll check as much as possible. Again, no disrespect intended." I said quickly, staring into Mipha's eyes all the while, one arm over her shoulder, the other arm sliding to her lower back. "May I kiss you?"

She giggled again, the type of giggle uttered when glee and embarrassment collide. "You may."

Her breath hitched as I pulled her close by her lower back into the kiss. Mipha's arms were limp for a brief second, then pulled me tight, her body sinking into my embrace.

Her lips were softer than they had any right to be, tasting of sea breeze.

We pulled away just far enough to look each other in the eyes, breathes quickened from excitement.

"Fossil."

"Yes Mipha."

"I want you to command me to kiss you." She bit her lower lip, showing off the sharp teeth that had intimidated me just a week before. I took me a second to process why she requested that.

"Kiss me." I said. Mipha darted forward, moaning in pleasure as our lips made contact. I ran my hands up and down her muscular back, enjoying the sensation of rippling muscles under her skin. Mipha's tongue caressed my lips, I kept my tongue in my mouth for self preservation.

We broke apart only when I needed to breath, Mipha seeming to not have the same need for oxygen as I did. "Mmmm, that felt amazing, dopamine you said? I feel like I'm floating." Mipha was grinning in a way I'd never seen her do before, beaming not unlike her brother Sidon.

"We should probably stop now, before getting too carried away. I'm starting to feel a buzz come on and it would be too tempting to command you to do something more."

"Mmm, it would be tempting to follow such a command, but you are right. We have six weeks at least." As soon as Mipha said that, my mood plummeted. Mipha's expression as well.

We sat in silence as the evening stretched on, enjoy each others touch, my forehead resting against the raised structure on Mipha's forehead. Whatever purpose it served, it was softer than I expected, feeling like a mix between a shark's cartilage and a whale's melon.

"If Zelda's right, tomorrow we'll have another person on our side, we can start strategizing for the fight. I'll get the game Galeem is from, it might not be completely accurate, but it could give insight into what we are up against." And insight into defeating Dharkon, I thought to myself as quietly as possible.

"At least this time we know when the battle will arrive" Mipha said with a long sigh, "I should head to bed."

"Want me to walk you home," I said, gesturing towards the bedroom door.

Mipha gave me a confused glance, so I said, "Sorry, it's a joke about courting behavior in this world."

"I get it, men do the same in my world too. No need to walk me home, I can take care of myself." Mipha grinned, though not as widely as she had after the kiss. We untangled our legs and she sauntered towards the bedroom door. The way she swayed her hips back and forth had to be intentional on her part.

"Goodnight Fossil," She said.

"Goodnight Mipha." She raised her hand to her lips, smiling, before retreating through the bedroom door.

I laid out my bedding on the couch and sunk into the cushions. After sleeping for two days straight I had no intention of going to sleep, especially not with so much on my mind. My intent was to plan a course of action but my thoughts kept drifting to those kisses, and Mipha's golden eyes.


	6. The Koopa Queen Part 1

I half expected to be awakened by Zelda just before midnight, wanting to investigate the newest arrival just as they appeared. Instead I found myself waking just before sunrise, knowing that in all likelihood, a new fighter had arrived across the pond. With everything that had happened, I hadn't thought much of who might show up. Given that they were tailored to my interests, I believed Peach to be among the seven to come, but with the spirits of supporting characters involved, I was uncertain.

Making my way to the kitchen, I found Mipha awake, smiling at my arrival.

"Good morning Fossil," Mipha said, walking towards me.

"Good morning Mipha," I said, pulling her close into a kiss.

Feeling her arms wrapped around me felt just as good as her lips pressed against mine. Even after we moved to rest our chins on the others shoulders, we stayed in embrace, gently swaying in tandem.

"I meant to ask last night, how are you doing Fossil?" Mipha said softly.

I sighed, "I'm doing as well as I can be given the situation. It doesn't feel real, and when it does feel real it doesn't feel unfamiliar. I've always believed the world might end in my life time, whether because of ecological collapse, or nuclear weapons. This isn't even the first or hundredth time I've been told I was literally responsible for keeping the world from being destroyed, just more of me believes it this time."

I could feel Mipha's head shift slightly against my own, "sorry, forgot you didn't know. Almost a century ago, this country developed a bomb that could level cities. Since then enough have been made that if a war broke out between two countries armed with them, they could easily wipe out all surface life on this planet." I said. A feeling of shame crept into my gut and I was glad I wasn't looking Mipha in the eyes.

We stood in silence.

"If all I knew of your world was you and this island I would think it paradise compared to Hyrule under threat of Ganon's return. Yet the more I learn, the more this world's problems seem to rival my own world's." Mipha said.

"Your homeland was under threat of invasion by an ancient evil entity, you had more than your fair share of problems and you were doing everything you could to stop it. I think a lot of people here try not to think about it, I'm … well I fixate on the big picture and the future. Maybe too much at times." I said.

"Could we use one of these nuclear weapons against Galeem? If it is as powerful as you have said it could harm such a creature more readily than anything else we could do. We will need every advantage we can get." Mipha said, pulling away to look me in the eye.

"Probably not. They are usually extremely well guarded and I don't know enough to safely use one. We'd need to involve the military and there is a chance Dharkon would see the government's involvement as acting against him. Well, besides my involvement as a government employee." As I said those last words, my stomach dropped. I let go of Mipha, scrambling for my phone.

"I need to make a call," I said, preempting Mipha's question.

Tapping frantically through my contacts, I reached the name I needed and hit call.

"Come on… come on… pick up." I muttered.

The phone rang once, twice, "Hey Fossil, how you feeling bud." Peter said through the phone.

"Great, all better." I said hastily, "Those contacts of mine, they said it was some kind of mold, toxic. Probably why I got sick. It'll clear up in…. Six weeks or so. We need to make sure no one gets close to Oak Island until mid March at the soonest."

"No worries, got it taken care of. After Kelly checked up on you, I made some calls. Someone will be out later tomorrow to check it out, they'll have the proper gear." Peter said.

"You don't need to do that, I'm right by Oak Island. I can just add that to my daily patrol. I'll stay clear of the shore this time." I said.

"It isn't up to just me, and besides, you've already gotten sick once, let's not risk it again. You should get some more rest. Take today off and just stick to your patrols on the island next week, take it easy. No digging through blackberry or construction alright?" Peter said.

"Alright, I'll go crawl back into bed." I lied. "Where are you working today?"

"I'm stuck at the office most of today. I'll pop by later this afternoon to make sure no one's partying it up while you are resting." He said.

"Sounds perfect," I said, "I might have another friend stopping by to check on me, just as a heads up."

"Gotcha, I'll see you this afternoon." He said, before ending the call.

"Fuck." I murmured to myself.

"What is wrong?" Mipha asked.

"My supervisor is sending people to Oak Island tomorrow, and checking up on me this afternoon. We can't let them find Dharkon," I said, "I have a plan, but I really don't like it."

"The ability Dharkon gave you, is that what you are planing?"

"Yeah," I said, "We can't risk the world over my moral hangups. I don't know how it works though, depending on the mechanics of it I might raise flags that something is wrong and get more attention drawn to Oak Island, to us."

"Test it on me." Mipha said, reaching her hand for my own.

"Are you sure?" I said, eyes searching her face for doubt.

"I am certain. I want to do my part, but there is little I can do in this war while I must conceal my presence from the world. Besides, I trust you not to take advantage." Mipha said with a soft smile.

I nodded, a small part of me wondering if that trust was artificial, created by Galeem or Dharkon. Mipha's life was at risk should we fail, I reminded myself as I made the final plunge.

The transition from a physical to spiritual form felt like a twisting of my body. Not painful, but unsettling in a way I had never experienced before. Once more the world turned to grey scale, sensations numbed and the sounds becoming a dull hum.

Mipha was brilliant.

Her shape was a golden radiance, misty and shifting, but unmistakably her. Within her, a more solid shape of the Varia suit, standing only slightly taller than Mipha herself. Overlayed above both, an even fainter shape of a ghostly white tree.

I was certain that I could manipulate the way her spirit manifested within Samus's body. The certainty was hard coded into this form, an instinct I had never before felt but was never more sure of.

It wasn't time to test that however. Instead I followed the current, the tug I felt towards Mipha's spectral form.

As soon as I made contact, sensation returned beyond any I had ever experienced.

The first thing I noticed was how bright the window looked, a purple beyond purple light shining through from the outdoors. Ultraviolet, Mipha could see in ultraviolet.

I looked around my home with new eyes, taking in the subtle purple hues and highlights I had been unable to see. With every movement, the air currents around my new forehead were brought into sharp focus, along with the strange weight of Mipha's head tail as it swung, tugging lightly at the back of my head.

Among the numerous new sensations was one of being submerged. It felt, disconnected to my body, Mipha's body, not unlike the change between my physical and spiritual form.

I dove deeper.

"Fossil? Did it work?" I said.

"Fossil? Did it work?" Mipha said.

I moved my mouth on instinct, spoke with Mipha's intent.

"It did, I'm in you." I said with one voice.

"It did, I'm in you." Mipha said with one voice.

I could feel my cheeks heat, "Sorry, that came out wrong." We said.

"I understand. It is strange, if I didn't know what you had done, I would think all your actions were my own." We said, Mipha taking control.

"That's good, I was worried it be a trapped within your own mind sort of thing." We said, "It seems like I can take control, split control like this, or sink to the background and just let you act like you would without me present." I did as I described, letting Mipha have uninfluenced control.

"If Dharkon could do this, why would they give this power to another?" Mipha asked.

"I'm not sure, they said something about controlling armies too. One sec, I'm about to try something." We said.

I left Mipha's body, yet stayed behind at the same time. My time in the bleak spirit state was brief, reforming my body to discover a new, stranger reality.

"What did you do?" Mipha asked. I both heard her voice and felt myself speak it through hers, a surreal surround sound effect.

"I'm still, um, possessing you. I split myself." My physical self said, lifting my arm and controlling Mipha's arm to lift at the same time, in the same way.

For a moment Mipha didn't seem to notice anything odd about her arm raised, her eyes went wide. "Fossil, get out please."

I complied, my spirit leaving her body and flying to reform with my own. Unlike the colorful spirit forms Mipha and Zelda had assumed, mine was oily, sickly black.

Like Dharkon's.

"You okay? That wasn't painful was it?" I asked.

"No, there was no feeling at all. I expected there to be something, to resist or notice, but there was nothing." Mipha said, staring at her hand in awe.

"That's, that's good I suppose. When Peter gets here I'll possess him. I can leave control to him, just give him nudges from time to time to keep him and everyone else away from Oak Island." I said, giving Mipha a worried glance. "There was something else I didn't try, but we don't have to try you don't want to."

"Perhaps another time, it was a little frightening." Mipha said. "Not that I was frightened of you Fossil, it is just… Not knowing if my actions are my own, what if Dharkon was controlling me. Even now, I still remember your actions as if they were mine."

"Whatever deal I made, it gave me the ability to see spirits. I think Zelda said she mentioned this at some point." Mipha nodded, "I'd recognize Dharkon if he was controlling you, and I haven't seen any trace of him controlling you. Though there is a weird tree with a face, but I think it is just barely influencing your thoughts. Have you had any weird impulses?"

Mipha turned away from me, hand to her mouth, "One thing comes to mind."

"What is it." I said, taking note of Mipha's obvious embarrassment.

"It is nothing." Mipha said quickly, "I would appreciate you checking from time to time if Dharkon is influencing my actions. We should do those tests soon, it wasn't an unpleasant experience."

Zelda opened the door from the bedroom, giving me a passing glare. Hair disheveled and her oversized pajamas askew.

"What tests? What are you two up to?" Zelda asked.

"Fossil and I were testing how his abilities of possession worked." Mipha said.

"And you let him possess you?" Zelda said, disbelief clear. "I suppose we need to know the limits of all the tools at our disposal. Still, ask me to observe next time."

"Yes princess, did you want some coffee before we depart?" Mipha said, filling the kettle.

I turned to hide my smile from Zelda. It seemed like Mipha had picked up on Zelda's need for morning caffeine.

While we waited for the water to boil, Mipha caught Zelda up on our findings, Peter's arrival later today and our plan to keep anyone away from Oak Island. I suggested we wait until after I possessed Peter to wake the new arrival, but Zelda pointed out that Peter could find the statue before stopping by here and contact someone else about it. I conceded in the end, and we set about preparing for the trek into the snow. I gathered up blankets and towels to load into the back of the gator, in case whoever had arrived wasn't dressed or adapted to the wintery conditions.

Zelda took the longest of us to prepare, no longer showing the same drive she had the past two weeks. She was pulling on her socks when she made a noise of frustration.

"Just go without me," Zelda said.

"Didn't you want to check for any new information?" I said.

"There isn't much point anymore. We know there isn't a way back to Hyrule and your vehicle isn't meant to seat more than two in any case. I'll stay here." She said.

I shared a worried glance with Mipha, but didn't argue the point.

Mipha had grabbed a blanket and draped it around her as a windbreak, which seemed practical as we opened the door to discover a few inches of snow and high winds waiting for us.

We loaded into the gator, Mipha climbing into the passenger seat after scooping out the snow and placing the blankets down. As I drove the snowflakes danced around our heads. The journey took twice as long as it would have under better conditions.

I was approaching the last bend when I saw them.

Even from fifty feet away, through heavy vegetation, and in heavy snowfall, I could tell who the new fighter was. The distinctive spikes rising above the brush was a dead give away, glinting from the headlights.

We pulled into the glade to see three statues upon a single pedestal, just as when Mipha arrived. The wind was howling loud enough that I could barely hear the crunch of our footsteps as we stomped through the snow.

"Who are they?" Mipha leaned close to my ear to speak at a regular tone.

"That's Pauline," I gestured to the brunette in the slinky red dress and wide brimmed hat. "The first love interest of another fighter named Mario. I don't know much about her personality to be honest."

"I think that is the Shadow Queen," I gestured to the blonde sporting a wicked grin with the heart shaped face, purple and black dress and bedecked in crimson jewelry. "The ghost of an ancient witch queen, possessing the princess of Mario's home land."

Then I gestured at the creature that dwarfed all of us, wearing nothing but five spiked bands, and bearing a massive turtle shell upon his back, "That, is Bowser. King of the Koopas and Mario's archenemy."

"Which one was at the final battle?" Mipha said, barely audible over the wind.

"Bowser, which probably means one of the other two will be the spirit in control." I said. "Let's hope Pauline is the one in charge, otherwise we might have a new problem on our hands. I think we can talk the Shadow Queen into fighting Galeem, but get ready in case she is hostile. I'll take the lead if you two don't mind."

Once I got confirmation from the two princesses, I trudged through the snow, blanket in hand and reached out to touch Pauline. The flash was expected, as was the brief moment of Bowser coming alive, heavy body swinging towards us, flames flickering from his flaring nostrils.

His hot breath melted the snow flakes in front of him, and the deep growl he let out set me on edge. Bowser didn't seem to notice the other two statues, now turned into glowing golden spirits, fly towards him.

The second flash consumed Bowser in light.

When it dissipated there was a woman standing in the snow.

It wasn't Pauline who stood before us. For a second I thought it was the Shadow Queen in control of Peach's body, given the golden hair, blue eyes and black ball gown that belled out from her waist.

Then I noticed the details.

Curved horns sprouted from beneath their flowing hair. Spiked bracelets adorned their smooth arms, and a spiked collar held tightly around their graceful neck. Atop their head, a crown with two black eyes and pink and white spotted center.

"No way." I said.

"RAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWwwwwwwrrr?" The less than terrifying roar petered out into a whimper.

"What happened to my voice? What happened to my amazing body?"

"Bowser?" I said, already certain of the answer.

Bowser whirled in my direction, ball gown sending snow swirling around the glade. "At least my splendor is still recognizable. Tell me, where is Galeem so I can destroy that feathered cretin."

"You aren.." I was cut off.

"Nevermind, take me somewhere warm first. This body isn't as durable as my true form." Bowser gestured down at their body. My eyes couldn't help but follow their hands down. Bowser's breasts were practically spilling out of the tight fitting bodice that clung to their new body, accentuating every curve.

Mipha bumped me.

"Right, here you are." I said, shaking off the wool blanket I was carrying before handing it to Bowser. "Hop in, we'll take you back to my house." I moved to the gator. Bowser awkwardly shuffled through the snow, seeming to fight the ball gown with every step. The veritable sea of black fabric hid what type of shoes Bowser was wearing, but I could guess they weren't meant for walking in snow.

"Bowser, this is Princess Mipha, and I'm.."

"I don't care," Bowser interrupted me once more with a growl, earning a glare from Mipha. "I'll allow one slip up, address me like that again and I'll burn you to a crisp."

I saw Mipha's hand curl tightly around the handle bar at the edge of the bed, to the point I could have sworn it started to bend. Bowser ungracefully waddled around the gator and fell into the passenger seat, ball gown overflowing from the small leg space.

Then Bowser moaned.

It was a long, sultry moan. I turned around in my seat to look at Mipha in the back, unsure of why the Koopa King of all people sounded like they were orgasming right next to me.

Mipha was perched in the bed, looking mortified.

"Woah, this body," Bowser said between heavy, throaty breathes "Isn't so bad after all." They set a soft hand on my shoulder to adjust their position in the passenger seat. As they readjusted, I couldn't help but scan my eyes briefly across Bowser's chest, the way bare skin rose with each deep breath.

Mipha was glaring daggers at me, mouthing something.

'You commanded her.'

My hand slipped reaching for the key, distracted as I was.

"Ahhh, yeah I'm sorry your majesty, that was my fault." I said, starting the vehicle. I looked ahead, avoiding Mipha's intense stare.

"Your fault?" Bowser said, breathing leveling out.

"Yes, if I give a command to anyone sent here by Galeem and it is followed, the person experiences a rush of pleasure." I said, navigating the snowy trail.

Everyone was silent, until Bowser's voice cut through the howling wind. "What is your name?"

"Fossil, your majesty." I said.

"When we get to your home Fossil, you will tell me everything." Bowser purred, in a way that would be no doubt intimidating coming from a massive reptile, but in the body of a women it had a very different effect.

It had been only a couple days since I had to face a being with the power to subsume entire realities, and yet, I was looking forward to this conversation even less.


	7. The Koopa Queen Part 2

"Go faster, I'm freezing my tail off." Bowser said, teeth chattering despite the blanket tightly wrapped around them.

"Do you have a tail?" I said, realizing a second later I forgot to address Bowser as requested.

Bowser didn't seem to notice, adjusting in their seat, fabric flailing in the wind. "My tails gone! I've changed my mind, this body is the worst." Stuffing the gown back into the foot space violently, Bowser clenched a porcelain fist. "When I get my claws on Galeem," They slammed a fist into the hardened plastic dashboard of the gator. A crack pierced the howling of the wind.

"Hey, don't break the gator!" I yelled. The lights of the double wide came into view through the snow. "We're almost there your majesty."

Bowser grunted in response.

I pulled up to the front door. Bowser kept their arms wrapped around them, face flushed and eyes red from the bitter cold. While Bowser slowly climbed out from the front seat, I offered a hand to Mipha.

As she lifted her hand from the grab bar to take my hand I saw it. The grab bar was crumpled, the outline of Mipha's hand embedded into its surface.

"Are you okay?" I said.

"I'm fine Fossil." Mipha said in a hushed tone.

"Alright, but we should talk about it later, after Bowser is caught up to speed." I said, recognizing the brush off.

Mipha didn't say anything, following Bowser into my house. I sighed, contemplating hoping on the gator and driving to the opposite side of the island for minimum safe distance.

The icy cold wind finally convinced me to enter the house. I kicked off the snow from my boots and took in the scene before me.

Zelda was standing at the kitchen door, giving Bowser a glare. Bowser was still red in the face, arms wrapped tightly around their body and standing in the center of the room. Mipha was standing next to the front door, clearly unhappy with me.

"Well? Time for that explanation Fossil." Bowser said.

"Right, do you want anything first? Coffee? Cocoa? Tea?" I said. "Bowser, this is Princess Zelda. Zelda this is the Koopa King."

"The 'King' already introduced herself Fossil, and I don't think refreshments will be necessary." Zelda said with venom in her voice, not taking her eyes from Bowser.

Bowser rolled their eyes, "No more delays, tell me what's going on."

"Alright," I didn't bother moving further into the room, enjoying my place by the nearest escape. "I'm guessing the last thing you remember was facing Galeem?"

When Bowser nodded I continued, "Galeem won, captured all but one fighter, conquered all of your reality and turned all the people into spirits. To ensure a permanent victory, Galeem sent those who could threaten its rule to other dimensions and made a deal with local inhabitants of those dimensions to keep the dangerous individuals from returning.

Galeem offered me nine of the fighters...or maybe some copies of fighters, not sure, and placed spirits within them to alter them physically and mentally in ways that I found… attractive. For every one sent, I am given a portion of Galeem's power to keep you all here. The whole command thing giving pleasure was the power I got when Zelda arrived." I gestured to the Princess, who gave me a confused look.

"So I was turned into this weakling because you find this form pleasing? I am a king! Does Galeem think I'd ignore revenge to give myself to some…some..." Bowser shouted, pacing back and forth, shoes clicking on the wooden floor, giving me an appraising glance.

"Ranger." I suggested.

"Worm." Bowser sneered. I assumed Bowser's comment was meant to hurt, but with their arms crossed under their breasts, disdainful look on their face, they were having a very different impact.

"Do not speak to him that way. You claim to be a king yet have no kingdom!" Mipha shouted.

"You claim to be a princess, but I'd bet your home was destroyed as well." Bowser said, glaring up at Mipha. "I claim to be king because I will have my kingdom back, even if I have to rebuild it from the ground up."

"So you intend to be a conqueror. In a world that knows you as a villain, in the body of a 'weakling'. You do not stand a chance." Mipha said, stepping towards Bowser to loom over them.

"I'll find a way." Bowser growled, glaring up at Mipha. "What do you mean this world knows me as a villain?"

"The worlds you are from, they are video games in this world. Zelda and Mipha are from the Legend of Zelda series, you are considered the main enemy from the Mario series." I said. "But we are getting..."

"Mario?!" Bowser bellowed, whirling towards me, "He has a video game series about him? That miserable little plumber has been interfering with Koopa Kingdom diplomatic missions for years and he gets a few games made about him?"

"About two hundred games actually." I said. "Wait, are you calling kidnapping Peach diplomatic.."

Bowser spread their arms wide, turned their head to the ceiling and screamed, paused and screamed again.

"What does that accomplish? You are acting like a child." Zelda shouted, clutching her hands to her ears.

"This stupid body, can't even breath fire properly." Bowser grumbled. "Would have burned down this stupid tiny house if not for this stupid tiny body."

"Which would have been so much better, then we'd all be out in the cold." Zelda said, "This woman is clearly insane, we can deal with Galeem and Dharkon without her help. You should take her to the mainland so we can focus at the task at hand Fossil."

"No! I will have my revenge on Galeem." Bowser shouted.

"You can pursue that on your own, we do not need someone so reckless." Mipha yelled.

All three of them were shouting over each other, individual words lost in the barrage of accusations.

"Quiet down, everyone!" I yelled, then immediately regretted my choice of wording. A second after they stopped shouting, the moaning started.

Bowser was the loudest, a long husky moan that filled the room with pleasurable sound as they sank onto the couch, hand roving down their abdomen. Mipha grabbed my shoulder to steady herself while emitting a squeek. Zelda was silent, leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, biting her lower lip, cheeks rosy, a look of pleasure adorning her face. A look which quickly changed to anger.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean… forgot about the whole..sorry." I stammered.

"Don't do that… not when… I mean… That was highly inappropriate Fossil." Zelda said, composing herself. "Though it explains somethings."

"Oh.." I said, "We forgot to tell you about that didn't we." I glanced at Mipha, who looked sheepish.

"You said powers, but didn't tell me the specifics." Zelda said. "We have had a lot going on."

"How many times did I give you commands?" I said.

"Only a few times these past two weeks. It was...surprising," Zelda said. "Though obviously not unpleasant," she said quietly enough I suspected she didn't want me to hear it.

"Can you do that again?" Bowser mumbled from the couch, seemingly in a daze.

"If we can get through this conversation without anymore shouting," I said.

No one spoke up after that, "So where was I, the reason you look like that is… are you okay?" I spotted Bowser's hand where it rested on their abdomen. It was swollen, purplish and black and looked as if bones were pushing against the skin at odd angles.

"It's fine, I'll be fine." Bowser said, looking away from me and concealing their hand.

"When you punched the dashboard?" I said, Bowser nodded. "Mipha, could you heal that please?"

"She said it is fine, no need to waste my healing." Mipha said. I gave her a glance.

"Please Mipha." I said.

Mipha didn't say anything, but walked over to where Bowser was sprawled on the couch. Mipha raised her hand, blue glow emanating from it. The blue glow encircled Bowser's hand and the swelling receded, color returning to the pale skin it once was.

"Thank you," I said. Mipha nodded, coming back over to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. Zelda raised an eyebrow at the display of affection, but didn't say anything.

"So, where was I." I faced Bowser, "Right, Galeem sent part of their power. However, I was also approached by an enemy of Galeem, named Dharkon. In exchange for more power, Dharkon asked me to make sure the outside world doesn't interfere with while they siphon parts of Galeem's power. Once the last of the nine are sent here, we all have to help Dharkon destroy Galeem. So far, one person has appeared every week, at the exact same time, so if the pattern holds we have six weeks until Dharkon launches the attack. We don't have a solid plan of attack yet, we just found out the details last night, but we are going to use all the abilities we have, all the resources we can get to defeat Galeem. Are you willing to work with us?"

Bowser was silent, almost brooding.

Bowser leaned forward, and I did my best to ignore the view I had down Bowser's dress.

"If there's a fight, I'll be there. My magic will have to be enough, if I can't return to my true form." Bowser said.

"Right, I forget you are a sorcerer." I said.

"Everyone does," Bowser grinned, "I'll help take down Galeem, with claws or magic."

"I'm glad to hear that." I said, scanning Bowser with my newer senses. "I didn't want to mention it before you, well before you stopped threatening to kill us, but there is a chance I can restore you to your true form."

"What!" Bowser barked, jumping from the couch, ball gown knocking a glass from the table. "Sorry, my bad."

"No worries, it didn't break," I said as I retrieved the glass. "The power I get from you, I'm detecting it as your crown. I'm fairly certain that if you take it off you'll stop looking like Peach."

"I look like Peach?" Bowser said, "Where's a mirror?"

"Bathroom is right past the kitchen," I barely finished my sentence before Bowser plowed past Zelda on their way to the bathroom, dress knocking over chairs on their way. The door slammed and the princesses and I were left alone.

"Do you think that is a good idea, restoring her true form? She threatened to burn the house down." Zelda said, coming closer to not be overheard by Bowser.

"She also threatened to burn you to a crisp earlier." Mipha said.

"It might not be the best idea, but Bowser has teamed up with the heroes against greater evils a few times, I think we can trust them to do the same again. We'll need every advantage we can get and a fire breathing reptile could help." I said.

"What about after, once Galeem is defeated I don't expect Bowser to give up plans of conquest. Do you really want to risk it?" Zelda said.

"I think we have to, if we hold anything back, we might not win." I said.

We stood in silence, waiting for the Koopa King to come out of the bathroom.

"How long has this been going on?" Zelda said.

"It's been about five minutes, why? Should I go knock?" I said.

"Not that, you two. Mipha why didn't you tell me?" Zelda said.

"You... were not exactly happy with Fossil at the time. I thought it best to wait until, a more opportune moment. It was only last night that we, well that I suggested a relationship." Mipha said. "Though I'm having second thoughts, what with Fossil leering at that harlot and...commanding her."

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry about the phrasing alright, I'm still getting used to that, and I wasn't leering. I probably was looking too long though, I'm sorry Mipha." I said.

Mipha sighed, "apology accepted, I suppose I might be overreacting. That woman just gets under my skin. I am looking forward to our outing tomorrow."

"That reminds me, will you be okay staying here with Bowser? I don't want to leave them unsupervised, and I hoped to take Mipha to the river I mentioned a few days ago on a day trip tomorrow." I said, turning to Zelda.

Zelda glared at me, then relented, "Yes alright, I can supervise her. You better treat Mipha with the utmost respect Fossil, or you'll regret it." She stabbed a finger into my chest.

"I have no intention to do otherwise." I said, hands raised in a placating way.

The knock at the door made me jump.

"Mipha, could you go hide in the bed room." I said, Mipha dashing through the kitchen immediately without a word.

I approached the door, and opened it wide.

"Hey Fossil, good morning." Peter said, his uniform flecked with freshly fallen snow. "Mind if I come in."

"Now isn't the best time," I said.

"It'll just be a moment, then I'll get out of your hair." Peter said.

I looked out into the snowy outdoors, "Alright, come on in and get warm. Peter this is Zelda, Zelda this is Peter, my supervisor."

"A pleasure to meet you Peter," Zelda said.

"Pleasures all mine. You look really familiar, would I know you from somewhere?" Peter said.

"I don't believe so, I just arrived recently." Zelda said.

"Yeah a group of us are all going to the convention next month, we are going in costume and everything." I said, hoping Zelda would play along with the lie.

"That must be it, you look just like Princess Zelda. The ears are spot on." Peter said, pointing at her elongated ears.

"Yep, took quite a while. Her parents actually named her after the Legend of Zelda. So Peter, how are things," I said.

"Good, looks like things are going well for you too. Glad to see you are healthier." Peter said. "Sorry for showing up early, but the specialists wanted to come out to Oak Island this afternoon instead of tomorrow, I'm heading to meet them right after this."

"That's fine, though there is one thing." I said, reaching my hand for Peter's shoulder.

As soon as my hand made contact, I splintered off a piece of my conscious, sending it into him. My perceptions doubled, and I saw the world from two points of view once again.

"Did you do it?" Zelda whispered in my ear.

"Yeah," I said, "Feels wrong, but the deed is done. I'll go have Peter call the specialists off, or possess them too to be one hundred percent certain no one will investigate Oak Island."

I submerged myself in Peter's consciousness, letting him take control.

"Sorry, spaced out for a second. What did you need?" Peter said, his voice feeling as though it came from my own mouth.

"Don't worry about it, good luck with the meeting." I said.

"Thanks, it was good seeing you, pleasure meeting you Zelda." Peter said, before departing back into the snow.

Now that I was listening for it, I could just barely make out the sound of Peter's gator start up, and fade into the distance. At the same time, I was with Peter, watching through his eyes as he drove through the snowy landscape towards the boat docks.

I went to my bedroom door, "coast is clear Mipha, you can come out."

Mipha came out of the bed room, "Is Bowser still in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, one sec." I knocked on the bathroom door. "Hey your majesty, you okay in there?"

A clatter came from the room, what sounded like bottles falling. "I'm fine, everything is fine."

Bowser came out of the bathroom, adjusting their bodice as they emerged. "The crown won't come off." Bowser said with a pout.

"I'm pretty sure that the crown is tied to me, I'm the only one who can take it off someone." I said, "Let's go outside and I can take it off you."

"It's freezing out there," Bowser grumbled.

"And it is tiny in here, like you pointed out earlier. I don't want my house destroyed when you go full sized." I said.

"Fine, cold won't matter once I'm myself anyway." Bowser said, stomping towards the front door, snatching up a blanket on their way.

All four of us trooped outside, Zelda and Bowser bundled in blankets while Mipha strode out in only her red bikini. We stepped a little ways from any of the structures and I approached Bowser.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Just get it over with." Bowser said.

I pulled the crown from Bowser's head, sending a cascade of stars swirling around us both. When the sparkles subsided Bowser was still there, still looking like Peach and garbed in a black ball gown just as before. Their hair however, was no longer in a neat ponytail. It was a golden mane, wild and thick, cascading down their back.

"It didn't work! You said it would change me back!" Bowser shouted.

"I said I was fairly certain, there is something else I can try." I said.

Bowser snarled, grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the ground. "It had better work." Snow flakes melted from the jets of steam coming from Bowser's nostrils. "Huh?"

"Let go of him!" Mipha shouted, appearing by my side in a blink of an eye. Bowser let go, leaving me to fall into Mipha's arms.

Bowser gazed down at their arms, chuckled, and lashed out at a small tree. The foot wide truck shattered from the impact, wooden splinters scattering across the snow, the upper portion crashing down into the underbrush.

"Guess it did work after all. I'm not at full strength yet, but it's something." Bowser said. "Try the other thing you were going to do, I want to be my best."

"Don't do it Fossil," Mipha whispered in my ear, "I don't trust her."

"We need all the power on our side that we can get." I said, "Alright Bowser, remember we're on the same side."

"You don't need to remind me, I'm itching to get my claws in Galeem. Do whatever it is."

I nodded and assumed spiritual form. The dull grey snow did little to hide the blazing forms of the three people around me. Looking hard at Bowser's white light shape overlayed with the golden forms of Pauline and the Shadow Queen I could see how the spirits were shaping Bowser's form.

There was something there, a tactile sensation, a toggle. No, two toggles.

I tried turning both off and found it couldn't be done.

I flipped the Shadow Queens, darkening the blazing form, and resumed my physical form.

Bowser began to grow, slowly at first. Smooth arms became toned, muscular, then rippling with muscle, to the point that taut flesh strained against Bowser's bracelets and armbands.

From beneath the blanket Bowser had wrapped around them I could hear fabric ripping. A large scaly yellow tail snaked its way out from beneath the blanket, stretching three, four, six or more feet from Bowser's hips.

Bowser grinned a toothy smile, revealing canines that were elongating before our very eyes. Golden hair turned orange, then blood red, dancing in the winter wind.

From Bowser's back, sprouted a wide green shell that grew until reaching the size of a backpack. Bony spikes stabbed their way from the thick shell.

Bowser's skin darkened, at first nearly blending in with the snow then quickly standing out from it. In second's their skin took on an umber tone, as if tanned by the glow of molten lava.

Standing a full head height above Mipha, Bowser laughed. "Bwa ha ha! This is more like it! I feel like myself again." They peaked under the blanket, just as a strong breeze caught the ball gown and tore it away, flying into the snowy distance. "Well almost. I need new clothes."

Bowser turned around and began to tie the blanket around their upper body. While doing so, they revealed the bodice hadn't survived the transformation and fell to the ground. The black underwear they wore had been torn by Bowser's tail on one side, the surviving leg band strained to the limit and was only still on due to how deeply it was buried between Bowser's muscular cheeks.

I turned away from the sight, giving Mipha a quick glance, who gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She seemed pleased by the gesture at least.

"Here, use this as a skirt." Zelda said next to me, stepping towards Bowser and out of my line of sight.

"I'll head inside," I said, making it as clear as possible that I was giving Bowser privacy.

It was only a few seconds before the three of them followed out of the cold.

Bowser looked like a barbarian queen, mane of red hair flecked with snow, black fingernails on the verge of being claws, blankets barely hiding their modesty and doing nothing to hide Bowser's voluptuous form. They had to duck down to enter the door, and even then their sharp horns scrapped the door frame.

"What did you do?" Bowser said, wide grin showing sharp teeth.

"The spirits were influencing your form. Sorry I don't think we touched on this. Whenever fighters arrive here, they appear as statues, sharing a pedestal with others. Once I make contact with the statues, they come to life. The mind and body is influenced by the other statues, the spirits that is, that came with you. We aren't certain the pattern but it seems like your form was a mix of the two spirits that came with you, your own body, and the crowns influence." I said.

"Who were the spirits?" Bowser said.

"Pauline and the Shadow Queen, we aren't sure how much influence they have on your personality, but if you get any impulses to cover the world in darkness, it is probably the Shadow Queen talking." I said. "Please don't cover the world in darkness."

"Please, I'm too powerful to fall for outside influence," Bowser said, crossing their arms. "Though that does explain the urge to exploit local legal structure to gain power, Pauline was always a shrewd politician."

"Huh, did not know that." I said, "Well with you all caught up and the issue with Oak Island sorted, we don't have anything else on the agenda today."

"I need clothing, this isn't becoming of my splendor." Bowser said, gesturing at the blankets.

"I agree, Bowser needs garments. Fossil, you and the princess should take Bowser to the place you acquired these." Mipha said, pointing to her full breasts.

Her bikini, she pointed to her bikini.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, I'll help make sure neither of them gets into much trouble." Zelda said, distracting me from my errant thoughts.

"I never get into trouble, what are you talking about." Bowser said, "I need a new outfit in any case, let's go to the market immediately."

Bowser marched out the door, barefoot and apparently now unfazed by the freezing cold.

"Give us a call if you need anything, I'll leave my phone with you and take my work phone." I said to Mipha, arms open, inviting her to a hug.

Mipha came close, wrapping her arms around me tightly, "Stay safe, I still don't trust Bowser."

"I will, we'll be back shortly."

"Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on both of them." Zelda said.

We followed Bowser into the cold, finding them sitting in the back of the gator, tail drooping off the back. The vehicle sagged under the Koopa King's weight.

Loading into the gator ourselves, we quickly encountered a problem.

"I don't think it can handle all of our weight, not with ground this snowy." I yelled over the wind, trying the gas one more time. We all dismounted, Bowser and I picked up the vehicle and moved it a few feet only to have it get stuck once more.

"We are going to a boat right, how far away is it?" Bowser asked.

"Half a mile or so." I said.

"Drive just me there, drop me off and pick up the princess here. I'll wait by the boat till you get there." Bowser said.

"Sure, you okay waiting in the cold?" I said.

Bowser grinned, steam rising from their body. "Right, forget I said anything." I said. I turned to Zelda, "I'll be right back, let Mipha know the plan please."

She nodded and headed back indoors.

We managed to get the gator rolling on the first try, making our slow way towards the boat. Within seconds we lost sight of the ranch, leaving me to navigate by memory, surrounded by a twisting gale of flurries.

"You said all the fighters sent here are the ones you found attractive. Why am I here." Bowser said next to me.

I turned to catch Bowser's eye, then meaningfully looked down at Bowser's body. Bowser chuckled, "Don't get me wrong, I'm hot as a woman and Peach is beautiful or I wouldn't have tried to marry her so many times." Bowser said, "but why isn't she here instead of me, or that bounty hunter chick, or the witch with the crazy legs."

"How long has the super crown existed in your world?" I said.

"You shouldn't answer a question with a question, and it has been around ages." Bowser said.

"Sorry, the super crown was announced a few months ago in this world and someone drew a comic where you and Mario were tired of being turned down by Peach so you put on the super crown and pretended to date Mario to make Peach jealous enough to date one of you." I said, "The internet, you have an internet right?"

"Koopa net," Bowser said.

"Right probably similar, people on the internet went wild with that idea, drew tons of art work of you with the super crown, called the form Bowsette." I said. "I admittedly found the artwork really hot, especially since they often drew you using your new look to get your way. Kind of a turn on for me."

"Bowsette huh? Some things would be easier if people weren't pissing themselves in fear or running away from me and those plumbers would trip over themselves to be on my side if they saw me now."

Bowser was quiet for a while.

"Think it would work? Making Peach jealous enough to choose one of us?" Bowser said.

"I don't know Peach's personality well enough, maybe?" I said.

Bowser snorted, a lick of flame spouting from their nose.

"It was never about her personality. Doesn't matter now, the Mushroom Kingdom is gone. The Koopa Kingdom is gone." Bowser said.

"You've got a chance to reinvent yourself Bowser, a new body, a new world. You can give being a hero a shot." I said.

"I was a hero," Bowser growled. "My people loved me, I was going to bring an era of prosperity, as soon as I claimed the Mushroom Kingdom."

I was about to argue, but held off. The Mario games didn't get too far into the politics of the world, it wasn't inconceivable that Bowser was altruistically motivated, even if the methods used were dubious at best.

"Lots of people know of me? Both my true form and this, Bowsette form?" Bowser said.

"Yeah, the Mario franchise is one of, if not the most popular video game franchise. Hundreds of millions of people know you." I said.

The shore was finally in view through the snow, the silhouette of the boat just visible.

"Six weeks from today, the fight starts?" Bowser asked.

"That's what we believe if the pattern holds. Why do you ask?" I said, pulling up to the shore.

Bowser was silent, gazing out over the water.

"Bowser? You okay?" I said.

"Bowsette, call me Bowsette. If I'm going to be stuck as a woman, I might as well embrace it." Bowsette said, bare feet touching down into the snow. She stood straight, towering over me.

A muscular arm stretch out, grabbing me by the collar, lifting me inches from Bowsette's face. "I might as well enjoy it." She whispered, before yanking me into a kiss.

It wasn't gentle, it wasn't romantic, it was the rough, clumsy kiss of inexperience, the forcing of our lips against each others. Her other hand roamed my waist, fingers curling just at the edge of my belt.

Then it was over, Bowsette pulled away from my face.

"I'll be here a day before the fight." Bowsette said. I could vaguely hear the jingle of keys over the wind.

"Huh?" That was all I had time to say before I was weightless, flying through the air.

Bowsette pounced into the boat, landing on it before I hit the snow. The boat skidded from the impact, pushed off the muddy bank and into the open water from the single motion.

My back impacted a snow drift at least twenty feet from where Bowsette had been holding me seconds ago. Organs jolted, bones ached, joints bounced, my lungs forcibly emptied at the sudden stop.

I knew I should have been stunned by the landing, I was stunned by the impact. Miles away, my consciousness buried within Peter's wasn't.

I commanded my body to get up, despite not having the local presence of mind to do anything. Within seconds I was standing.

It didn't matter.

The boat's engine roared, water churning. Stumbling forward, I didn't make it three steps before Bowsette piloted the boat into the haze of snow, laughing maniacally as she did so.

"Bwa ha ha ha!"

The engines roar faded into the distance and I slumped back into the snow, letting the cold numb my aching back.


	8. The Koopa Queen Part 3

I sat there, trying to collect my thoughts, desperately hoping my back wasn't injured.

Bowsette took my gator keys too, I thought to myself.

From my position in the snow, I looked at the gator. Groaning, I stood up, hobbled over to the gator and put it in neutral. Clumsily, I pushed the vehicle through the snow, until it was out of the open, partially hidden by the undergrowth. With no idea how long it would be until I got a new key, I didn't want to risk someone vandalizing it in the meantime, exposed as it was on the shore.

Pulling my phone out, I walked in the direction of the ranch, ignoring my sore body as best I could.

"Fossil! Is everything alright, we were growing worried." Mipha said from the phone.

"You were right, I shouldn't have trusted Bowser. She stole my boat, I'll fill you in more when I make it to the ranch." I said, wincing every few steps.

"That...that... gibfaced, sorning wag tail. Did she hurt you? I will be there at once." Mipha said.

"No please stay, I can walk and we might miss each other in the snow." I said, "Wag tail?"

Mipha didn't seem to be listening, over the wind I heard what likely was Mipha passing on the information to Zelda.

"I will be outside waiting for you, get here safe Fossil." Mipha said, her commanding tone clear through the phone.

"Will do, see you shortly." I said, turning off the phone and hobbling homeward.

I was three quarters of the way back when I saw Mipha coming out of the snow towards me. She didn't say anything at first, going straight to healing. Her hands emitted the soft blue light I was quickly becoming familiar with, and the pain in my back and hips eased immensely.

"Thank you," I said, giving Mipha a hug.

"You are welcome," Mipha said, holding me tightly, "I told you she could not be trusted. Why did you go alone with her?"

"It was stupid, I'm sorry. I wanted to give her a chance, extend some trust." I said, "I'll be more cautious next time, I'll stick close until we know we can trust whoever else arrives."

"You had better," Mipha said, letting go of me so we could walk to the ranch.

We entered the house and dusted off the snow. Zelda was there to greet us, looking frustrated, arms crossed, brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"Bowsette, as she is now calling herself, is going it alone." I said, taking off my jacket. "She promised to arrive the day before the battle, then stole my keys, threw me and stole the boat before I could recover."

"Humph, good riddance." Zelda said, "I trust you are better now?"

She looked to Mipha who nodded, "I have healed him princess, the only matter to address now is recovering the boat."

"She doesn't have many options for docking, assuming she doesn't run the boat aground and swim to shore, there is a mud flat along the shore in most places. I'll call my coworkers and ask them to keep an eye out, a seven foot tall woman with horns and a tail in a stolen boat shouldn't be too hard to find."

It was six hours later when my coworker Kelly called in, having found my boat left at the boat ramp four miles up river, near the edge of the city. Having spent the last few hours nudging Peter and the specialists into avoiding Oak Island, I was happy to have something to work on that didn't feel morally unpleasant.

Kelly arrived in my boat just before dark. I met her at the boat dock, dropped her off at the office, piloted my way back to the island. It was completely dark when I made it to the ranch, the lights from the double wide clearly visible across the meadow, guiding me home.

I stumbled inside, shedding layers with every step, "I think this has been my worst sick day ever." I said to no one in particular as I slumped onto the couch.

"Any sign of Bowsette?" Zelda asked. She came and took a seat next to me, pulling a woolen blanket around her.

"No, Kelly said there was no sign of anyone, or how long the boat had been there since it was stolen." I said, "Where's Mipha."

"She's swimming in the river I believe, she was so nervous while you were out." Zelda said.

We sat in silence, both looking out into the snow in the direction of the river.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper last night." Zelda said softly.

"I think it was completely understandable for you to lose your temper, heck I rarely get angry and I felt pissed when I learned the details of the deals." I said.

"It isn't acceptable, I should be better than that." Zelda said, "I need to be better than that."

"Maybe, but cut yourself a little slack, okay?" I said.

Zelda was quiet for a moment, "Mipha seems smitten with you."

"I'm rather fond of her too," I said.

"Is that part of the powers you gained, to keep us from wanting to leave?"

"I don't know." I said with a heavy sigh. "I don't think so, the power I got from Mipha shouldn't influence her in any way, just draws new fighters and spirits to us. There is a spirit influencing her and I have no idea what impact it would have on her personality, or how strongly it is influencing her. It does bother me, not knowing if she is only interested in me because of some outside influence."

"She has seemed different, more confident. At first I thought it was a result of her time trapped by Ganon's servant." Zelda said. "Now I don't doubt the spirits have changed her somehow."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow about it." I said, "So far you are the only one without other spirit's influence. Just you possessing a Pokemon trainer."

"The one who trains monsters for combat correct?" I nodded, "I haven't felt any strange impulses or intrusive thoughts, but it is a relief to know my thoughts are my own."

"That's good to hear." I said, "Could I... ask a favor of you?"

"You may."

"Before this is all over, I expect I'm going to be faced with some hard decisions and I'd like to get someone else's opinion from time to time, someone who isn't under unknown influences. Can you do that for me?" I said.

"Of course." Zelda said.

"Do you think Mipha would have been interested in me, under different circumstances?" I said.

Zelda went quiet, and as time stretched the pit in my stomach filled with dread.

"So long as there was a chance, even the smallest of chance she could be with Link, I don't believe Mipha would have been interested in anyone else." Zelda said softly.

She must have noticed the surprise on my face, as she continued. "I noticed the way she looked at him, we all did. Except perhaps Revali. I suspect Mipha believed she was subtle, but there was no hiding the feelings she had."

Zelda chuckled, "It's funny, when I first noticed, I didn't understand what she saw in him."

"So to answer your question, I don't believe so. The Mipha I knew would have never taken interest in another soul."

My heart sank, "So...I should… I should probably call our date off." I said.

Zelda's eyes widened, "No! Don't mistake me Fossil. You make her happy, at a moment when happiness is in short supply."

I could feel the tension leave my body, only now realizing how tense I had been. "So you think I should date her, even if it isn't all her."

"Yes, I am happy something has helped her move past Link, whatever it might be. She deserves someone that makes her happy, and as long as that remains the case I'll support it." Zelda's expression grew sharp. "Though if that changes, I'll make the experience very unpleasant for you."

I smiled, "You don't have to give me the third degree again, Mipha has a kind heart and I don't intend to break it."

We saw movement outside, coming from the river. The unique silhouette of a Zora in the snow. Seconds later Mipha arrived, grabbing a towel from the coat hanger, she began to dry her soaking body off. "Fossil, when did you get back?"

"Just a little while ago, care to join us," I said, patting the spot on the couch between us.

Now dry, Mipha made her way over to the couch, "What were you two discussing?"

"I… was apologizing for how I treated Fossil last night." Zelda said, Mipha smiled at that. "Though there is something else we all need to discuss. What is our plan for defeating Galeem?"

Both Mipha's and my face grew somber at that. "Tomorrow, before going on our outing, I'll pick up my copy of the game Dharkon and Galeem are from, so you both can see what happened and what that version of the final fight is." I said.

"Should we even go Fossil, I would like to spend a day of leisure with you, but can we afford it?" Mipha said.

"Yes we can," Zelda said. "You've been trapped for a century Mipha, you deserve a chance for fun."

Mipha's face looked conflicted, but she didn't say anything to that. I took the chance to speak, "What's important is that everyone has the ability to get into the fray and do as much damage as possible. I should probably start my spring work out routine early, and I have a shotgun I could use. In the game rocket launchers, magic and fists did similar damage to Galeem, we have no reason to think that won't be the case in real life. As long as everyone is armed in someway we should be good."

"I'll research weaponry while you are gone, what is our budget?" Zelda said.

"Well, I can sell a bunch of my belongings, given the potential end of the world and all. But I'm only getting paid twice between now and the fight. A lot of that will get spent on clothes, food and other living expenses for everyone. Feeding people is going to get expensive quickly." I said.

"Could you use your power to possess people, have them fund our war effort?" Zelda said.

My jaw fell, "I ask you to be my moral guide and you are already asking me to steal?" I said. "Clearly I chose the wrong person to be the impartial one here."

I turned to Mipha, who gave me an embarrassed look, "I am sorry Fossil, but the princess is right. When Hyrule was under threat we had the wealth of five nations to put to the cause. We cannot arm a force on one man's income." Mipha said.

"If we could tell them why, I'm certain anyone would be happy to put their money to the cause. We are preventing this entire reality from being destroyed, money would have no value if we fail." Zelda said.

"Sadly I'm not certain some people wouldn't prefer to hold onto their money for a few more weeks than give it up." I said with a sigh. "Alright I'll consider it. After you see what we are up against and we set up a budget for what is essential. If we even do this, we are only taking what is absolutely necessary. Anything not essential is only being paid for with my money and if we can't afford it, we aren't getting it. I don't want to save the world just to end up in jail."

From there we discussed logistics, planned what we needed to acquire and what to research.

It was late when the princesses retreated to the bedroom, leaving me on the couch. Sleep came quickly, and yet didn't. I could feel my body sleeping, even as I was aware of the three other bodies I now occupied.

Peter had fallen asleep a few hours ago, after giving me a window into he and his wife's sex life that I tried my absolute best to ignore, while simultaneously experiencing it first hand.

Emile, one of the specialists I had possessed, was up late, walking his neighborhood. I wasn't certain he had picked up that something was wrong, but he seemed deep in thought. The frigid night air chilled his body, yet the sensations of warmth from the other three bodies I occupied outweighed any discomfort.

Shauna, the other specialist, was working on her grad paper. She had been staring at the last line for nearly half an hour, and it was becoming increasingly tempting to take control of her and correct a misspelling I had spotted in her paper.

None of them seemed suspicious in the least that their investigation this afternoon had been two hours of going up and down the river. What's more the situation was feeling like a needless violation of privacy.

When Emile arrived back at his house I ejected myself from his body, one quarter of myself returning to the spiritual state. I hid in the bushes beside his front door until Emile closed and locked the door behind him, leaving me alone. My awareness was omnidirectional, a grey wasteland in all directions.

A dim light from the tree in front of Emile's house drew my attention. My movements were slow and while the wind seemed to have no effect on my speed, I was buffeted and shaken by unseen forces.

I felt like a jellyfish, fighting a tide far stronger than I was.

After what felt like hours, though what I knew from Shauna's watch was only a minute, I made it to the boughs of the tree. There was a ball of leaves and branches, pressed up tightly against the trunk, a structure I was familiar with.

The barest hint of light peaked out through the leaves, drawing me in once I was close enough. I let the force pull me, possessing the sleeping creature.

The squirrel didn't notice my presence and continued to sleep. I was certain I could wake my new host if I wanted, but chose to let them sleep instead.

This turn of events gave me an idea. I took control of Shauna, corrected a few typos I had spotted, stood up and went looking for her cat. The young calico had been sleeping on her lap earlier that evening, before wandering off.

When I found Shauna's cat, I went to pet it. I jumped, pulling my hand back when Shauna's cat hissed aggressively at me. At Shauna.

I let Shauna take control.

"Don't you hiss at me Hunter, I just wanted to pet you cutie." Shauna said.

Hunter's hackles lowered, nuzzling his head into Shauna's hand. I took the opportunity and jumped from Shauna's body to Hunter's.

My vision narrowed, though it was still wider than through human eyes. Greens and blues returned to the world around me.

My study of cat vision was halted when Hunter closed his eyes in pleasure as Shauna began scratching his back. It felt amazing, though not so much more than I had experienced in human form.

Soon enough Shauna returned to her paper, Hunter following behind. I watched through his eyes as he curled up beneath her chair and quickly fell asleep.

Hunter woke up when Shauna left her chair to prepare for bed. I realized that when all the bodies I possess were asleep at the same time, my overall consciousness slept as well. As Hunter fell back asleep, I wondered if my collective consciousness could get sleep deprived.

My own body woke to the sound of movement from the kitchen. Stretching, I pulled off the blankets and stood up.

"Good morning Mipha," I said as I entered the kitchen.

"Good morning Fossil." Mipha said as she turned to look at me, head tail swinging from the motion. She closed the pantry door, "We are running low on potatoes, onions and eggs, on our way back can we pick more up?"

"Sounds good to me," I said, walking over to give Mipha a hug. "I'll use the last of it for breakfast then. Though I had an idea for how to get around your food allergy, and hiding you in public."

"The super crown?" Mipha said, wrapping her arms around me.

"That, or what I did to Bowsette yesterday. It seems like your form is a mix of Samus's and your own. I might be able to switch it back and forth as needed." I said.

"I would be open to trying. This form is not unpleasant per say, but it would be nice to be completely myself." Mipha said, gazing down at her body. "We should wait for the princess however before testing anything new."

"Oh I agree, don't want to give her another reason to be upset with me."

I set about making breakfast, Mipha giving me a hand. By the time we had finished Zelda had woken up. As soon as breakfast was done, I headed out to pick up my copy of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

It was late morning when I returned to the ranch.

"What did I tell you, it would be fine, you needn't worry yourself." Zelda said from where she sat on the couch, my laptop perched on her legs. She had taken to wearing my flannels around the house, favoring the blue ones that hung low over her black leggings.

"I am glad to see you back safe Fossil, any problems?" Mipha said. She was standing in the living room, probably had been pacing for some time.

"Nope, traffic wasn't even that bad." I said, hands filled with bags. "I thought I'd be proactive and grab my old consoles while I was at the storage unit, and all the games that fighters might come from."

Zelda set aside my laptop, moving quickly to take the bags from me. "Ocarina of Time, The Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword! Fossil do you know how much I would have given to have these a few week ago? So much of Hyrule's history has faded into legend." Zelda said, clutching the games like her life depended on them.

"I thought you'd like that. Maybe you'll be lucky and someone from one of those games will show up. I had a huge crush on a farm hand from the Ocarina of Time when I was growing up." I said.

Zelda's eyes went impossibly wide, sparkling with wonder. Hylian physiology had to be different from earth humans, I was sure of it.

A bump on my shoulder shook me from my speculations, "There was something we wished to test, right Fossil." Mipha said.

"Right, did you already explain to Zelda?" I said, Mipha nodded and Zelda set down the games reverently.

I set down the consoles by my tv screen, and shifted. Plunged into the world of grey, I observed the swirling shapes of Mipha, Samus, and the strange faced tree.

Reaching out on a metaphysical level, I found only a single toggle. This one was tied to Mipha herself. Flipping it, I turned back to my physical self to take in the sight in full color.

Almost instantly Mipha's fins and head tail began to recede into her body, slowly at first just as it had been with Bowsette. The long fins shrank by inches, until finally becoming one with her body. Mipha's skin lightened, going from red and peach to a consistent smooth pale flesh all across her body. For a brief moment she was bald, her head tail having completely receded into her head, leaving smooth bare skin. It wasn't even a second before sandy blonde hair flowed from her scalp, reaching her lower back in moments.

The whole transformation took place in less than a minute. Her eye level was the same, though she had lost some height from the absence of her head tail. As well her muscles seemed the same, but more noticeable with her new skin coloration.

The red bikini that had blended in so well now stood in stark contrast to her pale skin, snuggly fitting across her large breasts and wide hips.

"I… I thought you would make me myself first?" Mipha said, leaning forward to gaze at her new body.

"It doesn't look like I can, just switch you between this form and the last one, I'm sorry Mipha." I said.

"Is this what that person in the suit of armor looked like, the one who pointed their weapon at you?" Zelda said.

"Yep, that's what Samus Aran looks like." I said, gesturing to Mipha's olympian build. "Are you okay Mipha."

Mipha sighed, "Yes. I know I should not complain, but I had hoped to be myself once more. At least now I will not have to worry about attracting attention."

"I don't know about that." I said, eyes scanning over her toned thighs, chiseled abs and full breasts, "In any case, we can turn you back once we get to our destination. There shouldn't be too many people by the river in this weather."

Zelda and Mipha retreated to my room to find something for Mipha to wear, though few of my things fit her. In the end they went with one of my button ups, basketball shorts and a pair of flip flops. It was the most casual outfit any of my first dates had ever worn but I wasn't about to complain. The button up was too short, exposing her midriff and tight around the chest, giving glimpses of her deep cleavage at certain angles.

I offered some of my larger sweaters or coats, but Mipha insisted that even in this form the cold weather didn't bother her. My own outfit was chosen with cold weather hiking in mind, cargo pants, hiking boots, three chest layers, a warm winter hat and scarf to cover what my thick beard did not.

After getting Zelda set up with the game, Mipha and I departed. In what felt like moments, I was watching myself and Mipha walk past the Ranger office through Peter's eyes.

"This is the vehicle we will be taking?" Mipha said as we approached my minivan.

"Yep, I've got some camping gear and supplies in the back in case the weather picks up." I said, unlocking the passenger door and opening it wide for Mipha.

"I will admit, I am relieved. When you first described the trip, I imagined riding another of those gators." Mipha said as she settled into the seat.

"Oh, yeah, no. There is no way I'd have you ride one of those halfway across the state. Sorry for not making that clear. What with everything going on, I forget what I've shown you or Zelda or both of you." I said, settling into the driver's seat.

Heading out of the marina parking lot, I got onto the main road and headed towards the highway.

From the corner of my eye, Mipha looked to be in a state of awe.

"You okay over there." I said.

"Yes, it is just… there are so many vehicles. Are they all full of people?" Mipha said, head swiveling back and forth. I was relieved she didn't have her head tail anymore, or else I would have been swatted in the face by it a half dozen times by then.

"Not all, a lot just have the driver. Though in rush hour the entire highway is full, all four lanes, bumper to bumper." I said.

"Even though you told me, it was hard to picture so many humans." Mipha said.

"Once we get out of the greater city area it will clear out a bit," I said.

Mipha didn't say anything to that, staring out the window to look at the buildings we passed along the highway.

"Oh I am sorry, I did not mean to ignore you." Mipha blurted out after having been quiet for a few minutes.

"No worries, it is your first time seeing an other worldly civilization, I'd be distracted too." I said.

"You are too kind." Mipha said, "where did you grow up Fossil?"

"In this city actually, my family still lives here. Though I'm just going to say it now, we aren't going to do the meet the parents thing until after the end of the world is sorted out." I said with a chuckle.

Mipha said, "I can agree to that. Relations between Hylians and Zora are not outlawed, but not everyone is understanding. Do you think your mother and father would not approve of us?"

"Mother and mother, and I think they wouldn't have a problem with it. The whole parallel worlds might lead to questions and I really don't want to stress them out or lie to them." I said.

"Oh, I did not realize, so you were adopted." Mipha said.

"No, well yes legally by one of them. But one is my biological mother yes." I said.

"She had a male lover then, and you were raised by a lesbian couple like the gerudo do?" Mipha said.

I laughed, "I always wondered about the Gerudo, but no, my mom's used artificial insemination."

"Artificial insemination? What is that exactly?"

I paused, considering how much detail to give. "Well, they use a device kind of like a turkey baster, a tube with a bulb on the end to suck up and shoot out fluids. Then they fill it up with..."

Mipha squeaked, "I think I understand… no need to explain further." She said hastily.

We sat in silence for a few moments, I was holding back laughter and quick peeks into the rear view mirror showed that Mipha's face was almost as red as her natural skin tone.

"Do you have any sibling?" Mipha said once she regained her voice.

Pressure built at the corners of my eyes, "yeah, I'm the oldest of three, my brother is still living with my parents." I said, eyes focused on the road.

"And your sister?" Mipha said.

My stomach sank, nausea creeping into my insides.

"She… she killed herself last year." I said.

Mipha drew in a breath sharply, reminding me to breath. I took a long deep breath, eyes focused on the road.

"I'm so sorry Fossil, had I known, I would not have…" Mipha trailed off, seemingly lost for words.

I sniffed, "no worries, I didn't really bring it up before."

"You had said you had the worst year of your life… I should have guessed." Mipha said, hand on my shoulder, gently making circles.

"Really don't worry about it, you couldn't have known." I said. "Everyone has something they are struggling with. It didn't feel right to bring it up when you and Zelda had lost your entire world. Heck even Bowsette might have lost her son."

I wiped a tear from my face. "It has been nice in a way, having other people to focus on and take care of. Part of why I chose the caretaking position was to be alone with my thoughts after, well after a lot of people close to me died. In retrospect, isolation probably wasn't the best thing for me. I could have done without the whole end of the world thing though." I said, trying my best to sound upbeat.

"What happened, if you do not mind me asking." Mipha said.

I took another deep breath, mind racing for where to begin. "Our grandmother was dying of cancer. It wasn't a sure thing, but she was getting better, the doctors said she'd make a full recovery." I said.

"And then she didn't."

I took another deep breath, "Within months we also lost our great grandparents to age, which wasn't unexpected, but.. you know..not pleasant. Then a cousin died out of the blue due to a freak accident. We weren't too close, but when someone you know dies at the age of twenty one, it hits you differently than someone who dies when they are just shy of one hundred."

I switched lanes, passing a logging truck.

"All of the death hit my sister hard, and she had always struggled with suicidal ideation. There were a couple of other things that made it the perfect storm, and it drove her to the brink." I said, biting back tears, "I miss her, every day I still miss her."

Mipha was silent for a time, "My mother died when I was little. You never truly heal from such a tragedy, not even after a hundred years, but the pain of their loss does become bearable eventually."

I nodded, "How did your mother die, if you don't mind me asking."

"I do not, it is only fair I share after you did." Mipha said, adjusting herself in her seat.

"There was a pride of Lynel threatening our borders. My father was away at the time, meeting with the King of Hyrule. Most of the royal guard was with him, leaving Sergeant Seggin and a handful of other knights with my mother. Seggin advised my mother to wait for my father's return for reinforcements, but my mother insisted our people's lives were at risk and could not wait."

Mipha had withdrawn her hand, and was clutching it close to her body.

"She took to the battlefield along side the knights. Seggin never told me all the details of the battle. When the knights returned, they carried the body of my mother with them."

Mipha extended a pale hand, just at the corner of my vision. Despite her current form, her hand pulsed with a blue light.

"That was the day the Goddess's blessed me. I was able to heal the knights who had risked their lives to save my people, but I was unable to save my mother."

"Sounds like she was an amazing woman." I said, reaching out my hand for Mipha to take. Her fingers interwoven with mine, we sat in silence, holding each other tight.

"Sorry this took such a dark turn, I was hoping we'd have a fun outing, get to know each other. Do the whole...courting thing." I said, returning my right hand to the wheel to merge lanes.

"We are getting to know each other and part of that is knowing the pain one has survived." Mipha said.

"Fair enough," I said. "My culture is kind of weird around death, a lot of people don't like to think about it, to the point of ignoring it. I've had some weird responses when people have learned what my family has been through."

"The Zora people are not much different. We have been blessed with long lives, so much so that death due to old age is rare. I have heard that in times of peace, Zora families may not know the tragedy of death for centuries. When death arrives, it is usually sudden and the survivors grieve for decades." Mipha said, turning away from me to look out over the suburbs we were passing.

"I hadn't really thought of that. You hadn't even reached your adult height before you died, did you?" I said.

Mipha chuckled, a mirthless sound, "No, I have not. It would have been another decade after my death before I reached the height I am now, another two before I stopped growing. Though I am no longer truly a full Zora anymore, so I do not know what will happen now."

"Well I don't know about height, but you probably will never get sick again." I said, Mipha's head shifted to look at me and I continued, "The form you are in, Samus Aran, she's a human from the distant future, in what I'd assume is another timeline. She's been genetically augmented, cybernetically enhanced and trained from childhood to be a living weapon."

"I am sorry, I am not familiar with those terms," Mipha said.

"Right, sorry. Her body has been enhanced with science and technology to be stronger, tougher and faster than a natural born human could ever be." I explained.

"That would explain some things, I have found myself… underestimating my strength since arriving here." Mipha said.

"Like crushing the grab bar on the gator?" I said playfully.

"Yes," Mipha said with embarrassment. "When I went to dive into the pond the first time I over shot the pond entirely."

"Oooh, smack dab in the mud on the other side?" I said.

"No," Mipha giggled, "I landed in the treetops."

"Wow, and here I thought we'd need Bowsette to be our heavy hitter." I said, "Think you are getting anything else from Samus? Her confidence maybe?"

"The princess asked you about my change in behavior, did she not?" Mipha said.

"Yeah, I was curious as well though. In the game you seemed so, reserved. Not that I mind, just curious if it was outside influences." I said.

Mipha sighed, "No, just the one impulse. Which is personal and I will not be sharing until I am ready."

She adjusted in her seat, chin raising. "In the final days before… before Calamity Ganon's arrival, I was terrified. My mentors had written me off as a casualty before the fight even began. They knew… I knew that there was every chance I would die in the line of duty, and that did not scare me. It fell on me to represent the entire Zora race, no matter the personal cost."

She paused, head falling, "Yet I was surrounded by these legends, these heroes, and I felt like I was not worthy to bear the title of champion. Every time I spoke, I was afraid I would expose myself as a fraud."

"You weren't a fraud Mipha. They probably all felt the same way, afraid to let the others down." I said.

"Thank you, though I came to terms with that early on in captivity." Mipha said, "The princess felt it just as much as I, yet she has not had the chance to reflect on this like I have."

"Yeah, I hope after all of this our lives get easier. Just retire to a life of luxury. You'd be welcome to live on the island with me, even if a romantic relationship doesn't pan out between us." I said, "oh course, that is assuming we win."

"Promise me you'll survive Fossil." Mipha said, a seriousness to her voice that I had not yet heard.

"What?" I said.

"It is silly, I know all too well this is not how the world works, but I want your word all the same." She said, grabbing my hand once more, "This feels just like before, preparing for the fight, gathering allies, a calm before the storm. Then everything went wrong. Link, even though he may have been restored he all but sacrificed himself. Please Fossil, promise me you will not do the same." Mipha pleaded.

"Promising to stay alive is like signing a death warrant, it's like some sort of cosmic law." I said, with a humorless laugh.

I looked out the car window, taking in the pastoral landscape around us, "I can promise I won't sacrifice myself, I don't know if I could bring myself to do that in the first place. If we lose ...well… no promises about staying alive." I sighed, lamenting how easy things had been by comparison only a few weeks prior.

"I suppose I will have to accept that." Mipha said, keeping her hand interlocked with mine.

"Alright, enough of that sort of talk." I said, turning on the radio, "Have you heard much rock music?" When Mipha shook her head I continued, "Well that is about to change."

We spent the remaining drive rocking out. Before long Mipha was was bobbing up and down to the music, blonde hair bouncing to the tune.

I took as many chances to glance over at her as I could, enjoying her smile more than I had any right to. Even though the body she wore wasn't her own, her smile was still unmistakably hers. A thought occurred to me, that even if I only had a short while left before the possible end, I was happy to be spending my time with a woman like her.


	9. The Koopa Queen Part 4

It was mid afternoon when we pulled into the gravel parking lot by the trail head of our destination. I hung up my park pass on my rear view mirror, and left the car.

The fragrance of fir and crunch of snow conjured memories of my childhood, just as much as the familiar weight of my backpack. Save for two other cars, the lot was empty, slushy tire trails maring the otherwise unblemished snow.

"It is beautiful!" Mipha said. I turned to look and discovered she found her way onto a massive nursery log. From her vantage point, she could no doubt see the river that burbled beyond out of view.

"Sure is," I said, watching her move with unearthly grace along the fallen log, maintaining balance on its mossy surface despite her poorly suited footwear.

Her flip flops clapped against the ground as she leapt down.

I stopped at the restroom, then we made our way along the hiking trail. Naked ash and cottonwood trees lined the river's edge, occasionally parting for fir trees heavily laden with snow. Our breath lingered behind us, a pair of wispy phantoms fading into the daylight.

On our hike we passed a pair of hikers on their way out, who gave Mipha's outfit a curious glance.

Finally we found what we were looking for. The river cascaded down a rocky slope into a deep pool, before splitting into a pair of channels. During the summer the gravel bar between the two channels would have no doubt been covered with people, now though it was empty. There was enough in the way of foliage that we could conceal ourselves from anyone on the trail, and Mipha could enter the water unnoticed.

We broke from the trail, hopping from log to log until we stood at the river bank.

"Think you can get me over to that gravel bar without overshooting?" I said, nudging Mipha.

She gave the river an appraising glance. The nearest channel was at least thirty feet across, though the far shore seemed to be shallow.

"I believe so, hold on tight." Mipha said, lifting me into a bridal carry. She crouched and before I even realized it we were airborne, shooting low over the water. Mipha's feet touched down at the nearest edge of the gravel bar, sending gravel flying from the impact.

She set me down and we found an opening on the other side of the gravel bar. Large river rocks were arranged in a circle around a snow covered fire pit. I set my backpack between the rocks as Mipha began to disrobe. Once she was in nothing but her red string bikini, I changed states and flipped the switch.

Fins sprouted from her limbs, hair receded then was replaced by her long head tail, her skin reddened, slits opened up in her sides.

"That feels better, the world seems so dark in that form." Mipha said, stretching her hands high in the air.

"That would be because you see in more colors than humans do." I said, "Lucky."

"What?"

"Nothing, go enjoy your swim." I said.

Mipha grinned, "Is that a command Fossil?"

"It is if you want it to be," I said with a smile.

She turned and leapt into the river water, disappearing below the churning surface. Seconds later she breached, flying high in the air, before the forces of gravity caught up with the force of her launch. In that brief moment, she seemed to float, dappled light glittering off her wet body.

I couldn't take my eyes away.

She was smiling, her grin clearly visible in the moments she was airborne. Then she would fall back into the froth at the base of the waterfall. Sometimes she would disappear beneath for minutes, her movements so fast they showed as waves upon the surface.

Even when her acrobatics ended, Mipha looked to be having the time of her life. She floated to the surface, laying on her back, pale skin exposed to the afternoon sky. The river tugged on her and she allowed it, doing nothing to stop her slow migration down the river. Only when she drifted out of sight did she come swimming back, at speeds that rivaled the fastest boats I had ever seen, wake spilling high up the bank.

I loved swimming, but even after years, I always remembered that any body of water could be deadly. Mipha showed no such fear, laughing in the current as if playing with a childhood friend.

My heart ached at the thought that I could never truly join her, that even if I were to possess her I'd be merely an observer, or would be holding her back from the beautiful dance I saw before me.

It was the first time the differences of our species really sank in, that she belonged to a different world than I did.

She emerged from the river, walking on the river bed. Only the top of her face visible at first, body being revealed inch by inch, step by step. Mipha's eyes had a playful look to them. Water ran off her glistening skin, running like tiny streams along her neck and into the valleys of her body. The movements of her body were familiar, yet the subtle differences, the ways her fins tensed, her head tail flexed and even the uncanny way her chest rose and fell made her enchantingly alien.

Confidence shone through every graceful step, her chest forward, arms swinging at her side, head held high, hungry smile on her lips.

"Hey beautiful," I said, "Have a good swim?"

At my words, a blush crept across her face. She kept her pace, but wrapped her arms around her body, as if to conceal herself.

"It was wonderful. I want to thank you for taking me all the way out here." She said, biting her lip, eyes not making contact with my own.

"You're welcome, I'm happy you enjoyed yourself." I said, feeling my heart rate quicken.

"No! I mean...never mind." She said, finally looking at me.

I unzipped my backpack and removed a pair of towels. Tossing one to Mipha, I layed out the other on the gravel bar.

I patted the towel, beckoning Mipha to join me.

"What were you going to say Mipha?" I said as Mipha settled down onto the towel, still drying off as she did so. The conflict on her face was evident, her amber eyes darting to my face and away just as quickly.

"The impulse I have mentioned. Ever since I arrived here, I have been feeling a desire to…" Mipha looked lost, "I am sorry, I do not even know how to put it to words."

"You don't have to say if you really don't want to." I said, adjusting my position on the gravel.

"It is embarrassing. It must be the spirit's influence. Ever since you woke me up I have felt an urge to... " Mipha's voice became quieter with every word.

"What was that last part?" I said.

Mipha's voice was barely a squeek, face red as her bikini top. "I have felt an urge to put your claspers in my mouth."

A burst of mist shot from my nostrils, an undignified snort that I struggled to hold back, "Mipha.. I don't… I don't have claspers. What does that even mean?" I said, fighting back laughter.

Mipha didn't respond, her face plunged into the towel.

"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. You don't have to be embarrassed Mipha." I said, placing my hand on Mipha's own. She didn't remove the towel, instead shifting her arm to hold my hand.

"Whispy." I said, the thoughts clicking into place. "The spirit is called Whispy Woods, why didn't I realize."

"What?" Mipha said from beneath the towel.

I continued, "Whispy is a tree that blows puffs of air as an attack. I'm guessing claspers are what male Zora have for genitalia?"

The towel over Mipha's head moved up and down in what I took for a nod. "So for what I hope is only a bad pun, being possessed by Whispy seems to mean you want give me blow jobs. Galeem probably didn't account for species differences when it decided which spirits go where."

"That would make some sort of sense." Mipha said, pulling the towel up to uncover her face.

I reached out to cup Mipha's cheek, which she leaned into. "We don't have to do anything more than you are comfortable with Mipha. Especially with the whole spirit thing." I said.

"I know I do not have to," Mipha said, "I want to even, but I am just… afraid."

"You don't have to be afraid Mipha, no pressure either way." I said.

"How can I not be afraid Fossil. We are on the brink of a war in which we are merely pawns. A war we might not survive. My heart fears missing this chance to take comfort with you, to be with you before the end. Yet what if we make it? What if we survive and we have already shared all that there is to share?" Mipha said, eyes downcast, her voice halfway to wistful.

The cascade of water filled the silence between us. Our hands still held tight.

"I guess I just don't see it that way. We...well we haven't really talked about what we want out a relationship. Things have just kind of happened. And I'm guessing our cultures have very different views around sex." I said.

"You speak so frankly about the subject, have you… been with another before?"

"Yeah," I said, "A few others."

"I see." Mipha said sternly, "Is that normal for your people?"

"It's not unusual."

"It would be for a Zora."

"Well I guess I'm glad I'm not a Zora. I had some bad ideas about relationships that I doubt I would have grown out of if I had stayed with my first partner." I said, watching a leaf float down the river. "We don't have to figure out everything this very moment. And besides, there are some things we could do now, if you didn't want to go all the way."

"What do you mean?" Mipha said.

"I… okay, we've been dancing around this for a bit, but Zora genitalia is really different than human genitalia right?" I said.

Mipha giggled, despite her obvious embarrassment at the subject, "we have been avoiding that point. Yes, I take it that your kind has different...parts. Though it seems this form has taken after Samus in that regard."

"Yeahhh I kind of noticed that when you first got here." I said. "We could just hold off on penetration, explore a bit, and again we don't have to do anything if you aren't comfortable."

In an attempt to diminish the awkwardness of the moment, I leaned over and kissed Mipha and the forehead.

"How does that sound?" I whispered.

"It sounds lovely." Mipha whispered back, her cheeks brushing against my own.

Gravel clattered beneath us as our weight shifted, positioning ourselves to reach as much of the other as possible. As we kissed tenderly our hands explored. My hands followed Mipha's curves, becoming intimately more familiar. Mipha's fingers crept under my layers, her chill touch bringing me a shudder as they traced the trail of hair from my navel up my chest.

I found myself naked from the waist up. The cold air an afterthought to the feeling of Mipha's arms stroking my bare skin. An afterthought to her soft skin beneath my palms.

I was so caught up, I didn't notice Mipha's plan until she had leaned me against my backpack and began to unbutton my pants.

"You don't have to," I said, desperately hoping she would.

"I want to." Mipha said, one hand cupping my cheek.

Pants unbuttoned, Mipha lowered her hand into my pants, gently caressing the outline of my penis through my boxers.

Mipha withdrew from my face, moving to support herself with one arm, pulling my pants down as she did. My penis escaped the confines of my pants and stood erect before Mipha's face, who gave out a squeak of surprise.

She composed herself, and tilted her head up to face me.

"I am… not certain where to begin." Mipha said.

"And I'm guessing you haven't seen a penis before?" I said. Mipha's head fins swayed as she shook her head. "Okay, so this part near the end is the glans, I'm really sensitive there, along the top ridge and on the bottom, as long as there is some lubrication." I gestured with my fingers as I explained.

"Licking there, sucking there or sliding your lips over there feels fantastic. There are a lot of other things I enjoy, but part of the fun is experimenting to find out what a partner likes." I said, just as a thought occurred to me, "When I give you an a open ended command, do you experience pleasure the first time you follow the command, or every time?"

"It varies, I am unsure why." Mipha said.

"We'll have to experiment with that then." I said with a grin, "Mipha, make me moan."

She smiled, leaning forward,opening her delicate mouth and sliding her lips over the tip of my penis. I drew breath sharply, though held back from moaning.

Her head slowly moved towards my body, then away, dragging her lips over the ridge of my glans. Back and forth, in short, tight rhythmic motions. My breath quickened, matching her push and pull, hand reaching out to stroke her head tail.

Something smooth and soft brushed the underside of my penis. Mipha's tongue.

Her tongue circled the tip of my penis, bringing a moan from my lips. Mipha moaned in response, the vibrations heightening the sensation of her tongue.

The only warning I got was her beautiful golden eye looking up into my own. Faster than I could perceive Mipha grabbed my thighs in her delicate hands and pulled, taking my entire length into her warm mouth.

I was gasping, moaning as her tongue rubbed my shaft as Mipha slowly pulled back, stopping only when she was an inch from my dick leaving her mouth.

Her forehead structure was shaped such that she could only maintain eye contact with a single eye, head cocked to the side. Even as she began to suck, Mipha's eye never broke contact with my own.

Pale cheeks were flushed from excitement, pulled in from the suction she was applying to my penis. From this angle I could see her wide hips raised, the three fins around her waist splayed like a blue and yellow skirt.

Mipha's right hand let go of my thigh and wrapped around the base of my shaft. She resumed the cycle of push and pull, only this time moving her ruby lips from the very tip of my penis all the way to where her fingers encircled my length.

"Keep... Keep doing that," I said, losing myself to the throaty moans that vibrated my cock.

She took my entire length into her mouth again, and again and again. Pressure growing with every repetition.

When her lips were kissing her fingers, she tilted her head back further, rubbing my dick against her lower gums. I had a briefest second of fear, before I discovered her shark like teeth had receded somehow, leaving a ridged surface that Mipha was using to great effect.

It wasn't long before the building pressure was overwhelming and I couldn't hold back.

"Wait, I'm...gonna.." Despite my breathy warning, Mipha hastened her pace, sucking harder and moving faster than before.

My body shuddered, head fuzzy, gasping for breath. Every muscle tensed.

I let out a final moan as the building pressure was released, filling Mipha's mouth.

I lay there, panting, trembling, even as Mipha's tongue coaxed more from my cock, mewling as she did so.

Mipha moved, bolting to the river. Everything was fuzzy, my head lost to a cloud of afterglow.

I was still in a haze when Mipha returned and curled up next to me, and I draped my arm around her.

"That..that was amazing Mipha." I said once I had managed my thoughts into an intelligent order. "You've really never done that before?"

"That is kind of you to say, I suspect it was not me alone," Mipha said, "I felt a force guiding my actions. Perhaps the spirit."

"Perhaps," I said, trying to ignore the thought of a sentient tree being talented at blow jobs.

A cool breeze swept along the river, standing my hairs on end. I sat up, finding my discarded shirt and put it on.

Turning back to Mipha, I let my eyes wander over her bare skin.

Returning to Mipha's side, I kissed her neck, and again slightly lower, moving downwards with every kiss.

Mipha leaned her head, exposing her long neck to my touch.

"What are you doing Fossil?" Mipha murmured.

"Returning the favor." I said between kisses.

I reached her collar bone, and only then realized the spot Mipha was in. She was propped between a boulder and the rocky gravel bar, in what must have been an uncomfortable position.

"One sec," I stood up, rolling up one of the towels and placing it on a boulder as a head rest. Mipha scooted herself onto the towel I had been laying upon, flopping her head tail over top the boulder and nestled into the rolled up towel.

I sat next the her, leaning over her to continue my trail of kisses from where I had left off. Following the arm strap of Mipha's bikini top, I paused just before reaching her firm breast.

"May I?" I asked, hand hovering just above her soft skin. Mipha bit her lower lip and nodded. Tugging Mipha's bikini top to the side, I exposed her breasts to the chill air.

Her nipples were small, dainty and with just the faintest hint of areolas fading into pink flesh. I reached across her chest and began rubbing her left nipple with my thumb, making gentle circles while kneading her breast with my fingers slowly.

Mipha's breath quickened once I resumed my kisses, eyes lidded and hinted at closing entirely from my touch. Just as I made it to her right nipple, I licked it and began to roll my thumb over the moist skin.

"I know the nipples are new." I said quietly, just audible over the sounds of the river. My face hovered inches above her naked chest. "But why do Zora have breasts when they aren't mammals? If you don't mind me asking."

"When...when.. the Goddess... Nayru... Blessed..." Mipha said between raspy breaths.

"You seem a little distracted, should I stop?" I said with a grin.

"Do not dare stop." Mipha all but growled. "When Nayru blessed our ancestors she granted them...ahhh"

Mipha whimpered as I grazed her nipple with my teeth, tugging it slightly just as I grasped her other nipple between my fingers.

"You were saying?" I said, massaging her breasts with both hands as I kissed my way to her abdominals.

"She granted them a reflection of her form." Mipha moaned as she finished her sentence.

"Hmm," I removed my hands, pushed off from the gravel and readjusted so I was kneeling between Mipha's long legs. "I can believe that, you definitely have the body of a goddess."

I slide my hands along Mipha's sides as my lips made their way across her toned abs. I took note of how her belly button was non existent, just a smooth valley between muscular slopes.

I looked up into Mipha's eyes from just about her pelvis, giving an unspoken request. She nodded, closing her eyes in pleasure as I started kissing, now inches away from the meeting of her thighs.

My hands worked blindly to undo the knot on her string bikini.

I struggled for a moment, Mipha giggling at my antics. Her laughter turned to whimpers of pleasure as I undid the knot, pulled down her bikini bottom and took a long gentle lick across the surface of Mipha's slit.

Mipha's legs bounced, stretching on either side of my head. Her toes grazed my back.

With my mouth I made long slow motions, enjoying the feel of hairless skin across my tongue.

Looking up between Mipha's heaving breasts to her flushed face I pushed my head forward, tongue lapping at her folds.

Mipha's thighs jumped, holding my head firmly between them. Even with her legs clamped over my ears I could hear her heavy breathing.

Both my hands were massaging her thighs, running over her skin, touching as much of her as I could reach, feeling the steel cables that were her leg muscles.

Mipha's legs relaxed as I made efforts to move my head, making deliberate passes, pressing the flat of my tongue against her slit, putting pressure on as much area as possible. Just as I pulled back for another pass I flicked my tongue across her hood.

My ears popped at how fast Mipha's thighs slammed around my head.

"Right there...keep licking right there." The ringing in my ears almost obscured the sound of her voice.

My first impressions of Mipha were brought to mind, that she was a predator, a predator given human shape.

Despite my thoughts, I heeded her request and flicked my tongue across her hood again.

Mipha's moans turned to cries of pleasure, her head tossing back and forth as I did my best to maintain my pace.

I could do nothing but yield to her motions. Every buck of her hips lifted me as if I weighed nothing.

I continued. Feeling more fragile every time her thighs tightened their grip, more vulnerable as Mipha's feet lowered onto my spine to keep me from leaving.

Mipha begged and whimpered, not in words but her intent was clear enough. From between her thighs I could see Mipha bite her lip, her hands grasping for something to brace against. River rocks shifted and cracked, the pieces were turned to dust in her grip.

The reality of our disparity was not lost to me. I was in danger, every spasm a threat to my well being. Yet I couldn't stop myself.

She shuddered.

Her legs clenched.

The shock gave me pause, before I resumed out of blind desire to see this to the end.

The pressure she was putting on my head was immense and growing by the second. Fear finally outweighed desire and I tried to pull back but found her feet pushing down on my back, holding me close.

"Please…" She begged once more, unaware of what she was doing to me.

When I didn't resume, her fingers found their way to her clit, rubbing slowly, then furiously just below my nose.

She was oblivious, appearing to have lost all awareness outside of her first sexual experience.

Awe and terror grew within me at the display of such unknowing strength.

The pressure was growing more painful with each of Mipha's shudders. My head was held in a vice, vision swimming with eyes wide as I gazed on bare skin and Mipha's fevered ministrations.

Mipha face was a berry vodka red, lips glistening as tender whimpers flowed through them. Bikini askew, her arms framed pale breasts that jiggled in step with her frantic motions. Every muscle was tensing beneath her skin, before my eyes, against my cheeks, beneath my faltering attempts to pull her thighs from my head.

Through the growing darkness, I couldn't help but admit to myself.

It was an amazing view.

The wet popping sound was muffled, enough so I only realized what it was after my spirit left my body. All at once the pressure was gone, along with the sluggishness I had been feeling near the end.

Mind racing, I scanned the grey wastes around me. I was pleasantly surprised to see the twinkling lights of life amidst the river rocks and gravel.

I dove for the nearest light, a caddisfly larvae laying still in the damp river rock.

Submerging myself into the caddisfly's mind, I acted on instinct, manipulating my host's body in a way I had only speculated on before.

I brought myself forth, body and mind. Taking over the insect entirely.

My brittle limbs swelled, hooks rearranging into fingers before my face. The towering river rocks fell away as I grew, shrinking to my eyes. At the corner of my vision beard hairs sprouted forth, covering what was once mandibles.

The protective casing of sand and wood wrapped around me changed as well, turning to brown and green fabric. I was myself again, kneeling next to Mipha, and ...my husk.

Mipha's breathing had calmed, eyes closed. Her delicate stirrings contradicting what she had just done on accident.

I knelt in silence, hand resting over Mipha's own, unwilling to deny her the afterglow.

"Hey Mipha, how are you feeling?" I said after some time had passed, unsure how to handle the situation.

"Mmm I feel marvelous Fossil," Mipha's eyes opened the slightest amount, "Fossil, why are you wearing your uniform?"

A nervous excitement welled within me, leg bouncing with restrained elation.

"Ummm, you know what, I don't fully know." I said, glancing down at the clothes my reformation had conjured, "Though it is sort of related to something I need to talk with you about."

Mipha's face grew concerned, though she stayed silent, "So say if you hurt someone by accident and healed them and they were completely fine and they told you not to worry about, you wouldn't freak out about hurting them would you?" I said, bouncing slowly to my left to draw Mipha's eyes away from my remains.

"No, I suppose I would not 'freak out' as you say. Why do you ask? What is wrong Fossil?" She said.

I couldn't hold it in any longer, "Nothing's wrong! I didn't stay dead! When I was going down on you, something snapped, maybe my neck, but that doesn't matter. What's important is that whatever Dharkon did to me, I was able come back. I took control of an insect, then turned myself back into me." I rambled, pushing through even as Mipha sat up and stared back and forth between my original body and me.

Mipha bolted to my corpses side, hand glowing blue.

"You don't need to…" I trailed off as I felt myself gasp for breath, awakened by Mipha's magic.

Once again my vision was doubled, shared by two versions of myself. I coughed, restarting my lungs, sitting upright only to be forced back to the ground by Mipha tackling me.

Mipha clung to my resurrected self, trembling, silently sobbing. My new body walked up beside her, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, no need to cry. It was an accident." I said. "Besides, I'm rather proud of myself. Seemed like you were really enjoying yourself."

Mipha mumbled into my jacket, "It was nice… no it was better than nice. And it shall not happen again."

"Why not?" I said in unison.

"Fossil I killed you. I can not risk that again for mere carnal pleasure." Mipha said.

"I got better." I gestured at my new body, "And if something happens you can resurrect me apparently. I wasn't sure you could do that actually."

"Only with the recently deceased. Even so, I will not be able to use my healing in any form for at least a day." Mipha said. "We should not treat death so lightly."

"We'll figure something out. Maybe restraints? That would be fun. They'd have to be heavy duty what with how you bent that aluminum grab bar but I'm sure we can come up with something." I said, my other self nodding along.

"Fossil, please. Let us talk about this later, I want to go… I want to go back to your home." Mipha said, withdrawing from my embrace.

"Okay. I'll go check if anyone is on the trail while you are getting dressed." I said.

Mipha nodded, and I tugged at the switch. Mipha's form changed once more, red skin and scaly head tail replaced with pale skin and blonde hair. Appearing as Samus once more, she pulled on her bikini bottom and began to redress.

With one of my selves I stuffed the towels into my backpack. The other went to the far side of the gravel bar to keep watch. As I walked, I split off portions of myself, diving into the insects and other creatures hiding amongst the rocks and soil. By the time Mipha was finished getting dressed and transported my two bodies across the river, my five selves had become over a hundred.

By the time we reached the car, I was ten thousand strong.

All my minds hid just beneath the surface, letting the creatures they were residing in maintain control. Any one of them could become me, another Fossil.

With enough time, I intended to be everywhere.

So long as life existed on this planet.

I would survive.

"Are you okay Fossil?" Mipha said from the passenger seat. "You...both of you are quiet."

"I'm fine, just processing. Trying to wrap my mind around things." I said, swerving around potholes along the old logging road.

"I'm trying to figure out how to use this to our advantage, could be useful for the upcoming fight." I said from the back seat.

"I have request, if you do not mind." Mipha said.

"Certainly, what do you need?" We both said.

"Can we not tell the princess how you died?"

"I hadn't even thought of that. We can tell her I slipped down the waterfall or something, it happens all too often." I said, contemplating the wording, "I broke my neck in a freak linguistics accident."

"We are not telling her that!" Mipha shouted, "I do not understand why you are so casual about this."

"We were having fun right? Accidents happen and there weren't any lasting consequences." I said. "Besides, I've been wanting to test this for a while, I just was too scared to try."

"What do you mean Fossil." Mipha said.

"Whatever Dharkon did to me, my consciousness is no longer tied to the biological matter that makes up my brain and body. I was going to test what happened when a host died while I was possessing them, when a bug was eaten or something. Except what if all of me died when one did?" I explained.

"You said Dharkon gave you this ability to control armies, it would make no sense to give you such a weakness." Mipha said.

"You're right. I just really didn't want to risk it. Now I know and I don't have to hold back anymore." I said. "I was sticking to only a couple copies before. Now I am over a dozen birds, at least a hundred fish and way too many invertebrates to count. So I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for accidentally killing me Mipha."

"I will not take credit for such a thing, but I am happy for you." Mipha said. "What does that feel like?"

"It's like I can be anywhere. Each copy is their own person but we are in constant communication. I can tap into what any other one of me is experiencing, feel what they do as they feel it. A lot of my copies controlling insects are just focusing on what I am feeling right now, but it seems like most if not all of my bird copies are playing around flying. If I wasn't driving right now I'd be soaking up all the highlights from them."

"That's what I'm doing. We got an Osprey when it grabbed a fish us just now, though the kingfisher is way cooler to experience." I said from the back of the car.

"I have always wanted to fly." Mipha said.

For the entire car ride back I did my best to turn my experiences into words, to capture the way a kingfisher stabs into the water and how the landscape looks from high above the trees.

Mipha leaned against my shoulder as I spoke.

It was nearly dark when we returned to the marina. Mipha had fallen asleep, and I reluctantly woke her on arrival.

Sneaking my two selves to the island wasn't a challenge. No one was at the marina when we arrived, what with recreational boaters staying away due to the weather and the Ranger staff were out of the office.

On the boat ride over I kept glancing over at my other self, seeing me the way others did. My beard was getting too wild, I thought to myself, to my selves.

I needed to standardize this, before it got any more confusing.

I, Fossil Prime, drove us to the ranch while my copy planned out a naming convention in the gator bed, Mipha riding in the passenger seat. We pulled up in front of my home, the living room light shining into the snowy twilight.

Upon entering the house I froze.

A strange woman stood in the center of my living room, frozen in surprise as well. Her heart shaped face was unmistakable just a day after seeing Bowsette, and if the blue ball gown with Hylian iconography she wore wasn't a complete give away, the pink and gold crown atop her head was.

The four of us said nothing for a time, stuck in an awkward silence.

"Alright, you ask first." I said.

"Fossil, why are there two of you?" Zelda said.

"We did a little impromptu power testing, turns out I can turn whatever I possess into a copy of me." I said.

"Who did you take over?" Zelda yelled, the oversized blue bow bounced on her chest. "Fossil this is exactly the sort of thing you should have asked me about!"

"No one! It was just an insect." I said.

"Oh, well then. That is a relief. Still though, I thought we agreed you wouldn't test anything without Mipha and I both supervising." Zelda said, giving Mipha a questioning glance.

"There was an accident, we did not intend to test anything princess." Mipha said.

"Which we can tell you all about tomorrow, I think we all need some down time before going over it again." I said, "Though that leaves the question, why did you put on the super crown?"

Zelda glanced down, wrapping a gloved arm around her waist, "I may have let my curiosity get the best of me. The magic imbued in the crown felt similar to some in the shiekan artifacts, I thought that using similar techniques to our research I could...unlock control for the wearer and there was only one way to test if it worked."

"So, Zelda. You're saying you tested an unknown magical effect. All while home alone, without anyone here to supervise." I said, as I shared a mischievous look with my other self.

"Yes alright, I understand your point. Now get this crown off of me Fossil." Zelda huffed, stomping her foot on the wood floor.

I relented and walked over, pulling the crown from her head. A cascade of stars flew from Zelda's body and she dropped, sinking half a foot in a second, hair billowing around her head from the sudden change in height.

The transformation was over in an instant, her appearance restored. Though her clothes were definitely not.

"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go change." Zelda said, blue ball gown dragging across the floor behind her as she walked to the bed room.

When the door closed, I turned to Mipha. "Probably should change you back too." I said.

"I suppose you should. Give me one moment please." Mipha said, unbuttoning her shirt and pulling off her shorts to give room for her fins. As soon as she was finished undressing I changed her back.

"We forgot to get you clothes." I said, folding up Mipha's discarding outfit, "We forgot to get food! Shit, I don't know if my copies need to eat the same amount I do."

"I am feeling hungry." My copy said, stomach audibly growling. "Man, if I need to eat as much as you do, my idea of an army of us is going to be a bit harder to pull off."

"You were thinking that too? I was worried our thoughts would diverge the longer we were separated." I said, as I hung up my Ranger jacket.

"I think they are, pick a number between one and a million." My copy said, holding up three fingers and lowering them one at a time.

"Five," I said as my copy lowered the last finger.

"Seventy two." My copy said at the same time.

"Why seventy two?" I said, flopping onto the couch.

"It was on a billboard I saw on our drive," My copy said, as he settled into the chair next to the couch. "I'm thinking we need to name a core group of copies. Not all of us, since most of us are just on standby, but the ones who take our human form. Maybe the international phonetic alphabet?"

"That could work, easy to remember and they sound like names enough. Less dehumanizing than numbers." I said.

"Exactly what I was thinking." My copy said.

"I am sorry to interrupt, what are you talking about Fossil?" Mipha said, as she gave both of us a confused look.

"Sorry." We said in unison. My copy gestured for me to continue, "I can't remember the full name, but there is an alphabet meant for clear understanding over communication devices. Each letter has a word associated that is hard to mistake for a different letter in this alphabet."

"What is important though is that we can keep track of which copies have done what and how long they have been around. For example, I'll go by Alfa, the next copy we name will be Bravo, then Charlie and so on." Alfa said.

"I believe I understand. The letters in Hylian are different in name, but the principle remains the same. I will learn the names as needed." Mipha said, "Do you think such a naming scheme will be necessary?"

"I do. Before my...brush with death." Mipha stiffened, "I didn't think I could do much to contribute to the fight. I'd just get in the way or die." I said.

"Now, as long as Galeem doesn't consume this reality, I don't think it's possible for me to die. And I intend to exploit that fact as much as possible." Alfa said.


	10. The Bounty Hunter Part 1

I was low enough to the water that all I could see were the deep blue swells around me.

That and the stone spike that jutted above the surf.

Flapping harder than I needed to, I pulled high then coasted along with the breeze towards my destination.

Waves thundered against the craggy shore, shooting salty spray high into the air. My feathers were dusted by the briny mixture as I swooped low on my approach to the rocky column. As the wind met the island, it went high, carrying me skyward with it.

Hundreds of sea birds screamed around me, perched on the sheer rock face or wheeling in the sky. Every surface above the tide line was covered in guano, even reaching to the top of the spire.

Late January was too early for the birds to be building nests, but it didn't stop them from bickering over prime perches.

I flew close to the cliff, earning harsh cries from the occupants. It wasn't until my third pass that I accomplished my goal.

Feathers touched feathers, my spirit splintered once more.

I was two gulls, then the new gull's immediate neighbors made four.

It was slow going at first, waiting for the right opportunity to brush past in flight or bump into a neighbor. I had learned my lesson. If I was too obvious, or showed my spirit form, the whole colony would scatter and avoid those I had already possessed. Gulls and Cormorants were easier to trick than crows but being cautious was worth avoiding the hassle.

Exponential growth was on my side and soon enough I hit a critical number. The last half took a tenth the time to control as the first half. Before long, the entire colony was me.

I released control over my trojan gull, who gave a confused shriek and headed towards where I had first possessed it, another seabird colony a few miles up the coast.

My consciousnesses consorted, searching the newly acquired colony for the healthiest, most recently fed birds to make the trip down the coast to the next nesting site. I had no desire to harm the birds.

Selection made, I guided the gull south. At the same time I soared high with another gull for a more selfish reason.

The feet of the mountainous clouds on the horizon were at my eye level, looking to be a monumental landscape drifting lazily towards me. Far below the individual waves blurred together to become beautiful bands of blue and white. Inland, rolling hills gave way to blue mountains, dressed in crisp white snow.

"Fossil, are you alright?" Mipha said, causing me to open my eyes.

I wiped a tear from my cheek, "Yep, just saw something amazing." I said.

"Where were you?" Mipha said, her hand brushed through my hair.

"I'm on a gorgeous woman's lap." I grinned, rolling over to look straight up and see Mipha's face.

She giggled softly, "You know what I meant Fossil." My heart melted at the sound of her laugh.

"I made it to the sea last night, now I'm flying around as a seagull. The coastline looks so amazing from high above." I said, glancing over at the tv screen. It was paused, the dramatic music lowered to a gentle hum, "Where's Zelda?"

"She is in the toilet." Mipha said.

"In that case, I wanted to run an idea by you." I whispered conspiratorially. "How would you feel about Alfa and Bravo holding you while I go down on you?"

Mipha bit her lip, glancing nervously at the bathroom door, "I do not know, perhaps? The thought feels uncomfortable somehow. I appreciate your commitment to solving this dilemma, but you should focus your energies on the coming battle." Mipha said quietly.

"Alfa's got it under control, I suggested him joining in because I think he needs to blow off some steam. He's wound tighter than I've ever been." I said, nuzzling into Mipha's belly.

"That is part of the reason for my discomfort. Your copies, Alfa especially, I see them as their own persons. Even entertaining the idea of being with them feels wrong." Mipha said.

"Alright, I won't suggest it again. I really want to figure out a solution to this though, we were so close last time, and you were able to stop as soon as I said it was painful." I said, as I wiggled my fingers in front my face.

"I do not know why you continue to risk your wellbeing for my sake, or why I let you." Mipha said with a huff, though I couldn't detect any anger in her tone.

"Hey, I knew dating a woman of steel would have its challenges. I'm certainly not complaining about the seconds it takes for you heal my bruised hand." I said, "Besides, I'm not going to give up when you do so much for me. It doesn't feel fair. We'll figure something out. Then we can have all the bed breaking sex we want."

"Fossil, she'll hear you." Mipha pleaded, looking once more at the bathroom door. Her amber eyes were wide, begging, captivating. I could stare into those eyes for hours.

"Alright, I'll keep quiet, no worries." I said, keeping my voice low.

"You can be so troublesome at times." Mipha said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I said, "Though that does bring me to another question I have for you."

"What is it Fossil?"

"Would you like to go on a road trip with me down to the coast for a few days? I'd like to make it up to you for the last trip." I said, tensed with anticipation.

"What about the new arrival?" Mipha said, brow furrowed.

"Already ran it by Alfa, he can handle catching them up to speed. He seemed kinda excited at the prospect of me being gone." I said. "We'll greet them tonight at midnight, then head out in the morning. Just me and you, what do you say?"

"Fossil I would love to. However, we only have five weeks left, we should be preparing with the others." Mipha said.

"We would also be running an errand. Charlie thinks some of the local stores are getting suspicious, so we could stop by all the stores on our way to the coast." I said. "Someone needs to do it anyway and we'll get some alone time in the process."

"In that case, yes I would like to go."

"Just like that?"

"Yes, Fossil. A trip to the coast would be wonderful." Mipha said, her face lighting up.

I bounced in excitement, "Yes! I've been scouting for the perfect place. I found a beach surrounded by cliffs that humans can't reach. It is a ways to drive but we'd have total privacy. Of course there are a ton of gulls there, but I could have them clear away.. Unless you like the sound of gulls then I could..."

Mipha stopped my rambling, pulling me into a tight embrace, red lips pressed to mine. My thoughts came to a halt, as I lost myself to Mipha's lips. Even when we broke our embrace, our lips didn't stray apart. Our arms grasped for eachother, my fingers exploring her soft skin.

The sound of Zelda clearing her throat brought us out of our make out session, our arms flailing.

"Right then, Fossil finally mentioned the beach trip I take it?" Zelda said, arms crossed. Mipha and I nodded in embarrassment. "While you are out I need you to buy me a weapon. I haven't been able to replicate the feats the other Zeldas have in this game, so I'll need an alternative. The weapons used by this Snake fellow seem rather effective."

Zelda unpaused the game. She was mid fight with Galeem, playing as Snake. The speakers rumbled, the screen flashed.

"Case in point." Zelda said, gesturing with her controller as she paused game again.

"That does look useful, though I wish I still had my trident." Mipha said.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Zelda, I'm not able to buy you a rocket-propelled grenade. Or a mortar for that matter. A handgun yes, a rifle yes, but no military weapons." I said.

"The law doesn't matter in times like these, we need to get our hands on every tool available." Zelda said.

"I agree, but I am not trained to use those and that game doesn't accurately show how those weapons work. We would be just as likely to blow ourselves up as blowing up Galeem." I said.

"If I can get someone to teach me, can we look into acquiring military weapons?" Zelda said.

"Sure, if Snake or someone else with weapons training shows up, but for now let's avoid the risk." I said.

Zelda conceded, and resumed playing through the battle against Galeem.

Mipha and I watched in silence as Zelda fought and destroyed the enemy that kept me awake at night.

"I fear our greatest challenge will be destroying both Galeem and Dharkon at the same time." Zelda said softly as we watched the cut scene of Dharkon consuming reality.

"We shouldn't talk about fighting Dharkon, I'm still not convinced it can't read our minds." I said.

"If it can, there is no way it doesn't know we will attack it in the final battle. If it can't there is still no doubt it intends to betray us." Zelda said. "We need to prepare to overpower both and be on our guard in case Dharkon's betrayal comes sooner."

Our dark musings were interrupted by the sound of a gator outside. Two sets of foot falls marched up the front steps and the door was pushed open.

"Lunch is here!" Charlie shouted as he entered the house, arms laden with bags. Bravo followed, similarly burdened, but wearing my winter uniform as opposed to Charlie's casual wear.

"Island is secure, Oak Island is clear as well." Bravo said, "Where's Alfa and Delta."

"They should be in the farm house, last I heard they were working on patching the south wall. I'm surprised they didn't hear you." I said.

"We did," Delta said, entering the doublewide behind Bravo. "Alfa wanted to finish up before getting food. I'm starving however."

Charlie and Bravo arranged a buffet line on the kitchen counter, then handed out plates.

"Mipha, I've got your food here!" Charlie shouted through the crowd.

"Thank you!" Mipha called out, reaching over my copies to take the box from Charlie.

I was nearly through the food line when Alfa walked in.

"How did the last trip go Charlie?" Alfa said, peeling off grimey layers.

"Good, got three fifty from the last place. I don't think we should risk selling any more gold in the area though. The guy at the counter said he'd heard about me and offered condolences. I think he was fishing to see if my cover story was the same as elsewhere." Charlie said.

"The inheritance story was only going to carry us so far. We've moved a half a kilo though, and can probably sell the dresses as well." Alfa said, "Maybe Mipha's Peach dress will have other precious materials we could sell."

"Alfa, we can talk shop later. Eat something before you get crabby!" I shouted from the kitchen.

I could hear Alfa grumbling, but he didn't argue, heaping chow mein onto his plate.

Chatter gave way to the sounds of eating. I occupied the couch with Mipha next to me, Zelda in the chair and my copies perched on the stools brought from the kitchen.

It was rare for all of my named copies to be in one room. Arranged in a line, all the differences, subtle and otherwise were on clear display. Alfa's blonde hair was wild, finger combed, and dark circles were visible under his eyes, shoulders slumped. Bravo had trimmed his hair and beard, still in uniform He had taken to managing our ranger role and security of the islands and looked the most professional of all of us. Charlie was clean shaven, exposing a chin I hadn't seen in a decade, as an attempt to look different from the rest of us for the errands he was always running. Delta was new, having been an earthworm until yesterday when Alfa needed help lifting building materials. No longer wearing the uniform we all appeared with, Delta had yet to distinguish himself from me.

As people finished with their meals, Bravo collected cleared plates. "After my patrol I thought I'd take a look at the broken gator." Bravo said, "Anyone free to lend a hand?"

"I would, if you don't mind teaching me as we went?" Zelda said.

"Not at all, I'll be learning as we go as well." Bravo said from the kitchen.

"A second working gator would be great, especially once we get more copies." Alfa said.

"We've talked about this Alfa, we should hold off until more fighters arrive. More copies might get in the way." I said.

"We can house a dozen people in the farm house, maybe not comfortably but I don't think anyone of us minds a few weeks in sleeping bags. I've almost finished the walls and all that is left is replacing the west window panes." Alfa said.

"I'm more worried about after, five of us is manageable, but I don't think any of us wants to go back to being worms after this is all over." Delta said.

"There might not be an after if we don't get all the help we can get." Alfa said.

"Guys, let's hold off on this till we see who shows up tonight. With luck, we'll get a new power that can help in the fight." Charlie said.

"That reminds me, I want to be there when we wake them up." Alfa said.

"No." I said.

"Why not?" Alfa said.

"You look like a mess dude," Bravo said. "Probably not the best first impression if you were there."

"Yeah and when was the last time you showered, or slept for that matter." I said.

"Not since before I showed up." Delta added. "You need to get some rest bud."

"Alright, alright, I'll shower. After I finish the windows, I wanted to wait until the hot water was back anyway. I don't see how any of you can sleep though, with this hanging over our heads." Alfa said, gesturing at the paused screen behind the line of my copies.

"I've got the windows, don't stress about it." Delta said.

"After your shower, please get some rest. You clearly need it, we've got things handled and the new fighter won't be here till midnight at the soonest." I said, "Use my bedroom, I know it's more comfortable than the sleeping bags. If you do that, I'll make sure someone swings by and wakes you before we head out."

Alfa nodded, before grabbing a towel, weaving through the crowd and stepping into the bathroom.

"That was strange to watch." Zelda said, giving Mipha a glance.

"It was strange to say out loud." I said, "I hope he is able to relax soon."

"Agreed, though if you'll excuse me, I'll go do my afternoon patrol." Bravo said as he pulled on his coat. "I'll come find you when I get back Zelda."

With that said, he stepped out the front door. Delta followed him out to work on the farm house.

"Guess I'll take dishes duty, " Charlie said as he made his way to the kitchen, leaving me and the two princesses alone.

"Are you certain Alfa will be able to handle things while we are gone?" Mipha said.

"Positive, he's me after all. Just stressing out a bit. Probably a little cuddle deprived." I said.

"I am sorry, but I will not help him with that." Mipha said.

"Fine…" I said, rolling my eyes with as much drama as I could manage. I snuck Zelda a mischievous glance.

"Don't look at me. Why don't you cuddle him?" Zelda said.

"I mean, I could. It would be a little weird though." I said.

"You could always put on the super crown first." Zelda said with a chuckle.

"Ummm." I didn't trust myself to respond to that.

"WE'VE ALL THOUGHT ABOUT IT." Charlie shouted from the kitchen, far louder than necessary.

Mipha and Zelda burst into laughter, while my face felt like it was burning. "Thanks Charlie, really glad you shared that with everyone on the island." I said.

"NO PROBLEM!" Charlie shouted, before the clatter of dishes resumed.

When the princesses calmed down, they focused back on the screen. Zelda played through the final battles against Galeem and Dharkon in game, pausing frequently to allow discussion on the tactics both entities use, what weapons would be most effective and more.

At some point my body nodded off, head nestled in Mipha's lap. I drifted through the sea of consciousness, watching through the eyes of a million different creatures.

I watched Oak Island through the eyes of a thousand crows, the murder scattered all throughout the river valley to watch the island from all angles.

I saw through Bravo's eyes as he finished his tour of the island, parking out in front. He poked his head through the front door and spotted my sleeping form between Mipha and Zelda.

Zelda nodded and stood up slowly, clearly intending to let me rest. She snuck over to the door, as Mipha draped her arm over me and shuffled back and forth, sinking deeper into the cushions.

"I don't recall, did Fossil show you the insides of the gator yet?" Bravo said as the pair made their way over to the machine shed.

"No, we haven't found the time, what with all our work gathering the gold from my super crown dresses. I'm curious to see if the gator resembles Shiekah technology." Zelda said.

"Hmm, probably not. Superficially maybe." Bravo said as they entered the shed. He approached the broken vehicle and lifted up the bed. "Here we are."

"Fascinating," Zelda said, leaning over the engine block. "There aren't any light channels. How does it operate?"

"Internal combustion, inside this part right here." Bravo said, gesturing to the engine block. He went on to describe the individual parts, answering questions as Zelda asked them.

My focus shifted to Delta as he put sealant along the edge of the window pane.

Then I shifted to Charlie in the kitchen, who was bouncing along to music unheard.

I couldn't sense Alfa, no doubt due to him sleeping.

I woke briefly when everyone trickled in for dinner. We devoured the leftovers from lunch, then went our separate ways.

Dinner finished, I made my way back to the couch and shut my eyes for what felt like a moment, before riding behind the eyes of gulls once more.

"Fossil, you need to wake up." Mipha said, shaking me gently.

"I'm up, I'm up. What time is it?" I said, peeking outside to find it pitch black.

"Just past eleven." Mipha said. I stood and got on my layers while Mipha went to get Zelda and Alfa.

The four of us gathered, the two princesses showing no sign sleepiness. Bundled up, we trudged out into the cold night air.

I drove the gator while Zelda rode in the passenger seat. Alpha and Mipha walked ahead, using the headlights of the gator to avoid patches of ice or stray roots.

The trip to the glade wasn't long, even with two on foot. When we arrived we found the glade to be empty.

"Let's hope our prediction is right. Could be a long night otherwise." I said, glancing at my phone. Reaching into the gator bed, I pulled a blanket around my torso for extra warmth and grabbed a pair of thermoses from beneath the blankets. Catching Alfa's attention, I tossed him a thermos, then tossed the second to Mipha.

"We can take shifts if need be. I'm fine staying out here all night." Alfa said.

We waited in the cold, giving the spot where the statues had appeared a wide berth. When my legs started to fall asleep I made my way over to Mipha and wrapped the blanket around us both.

Minutes away from midnight and there was no sign of change. All of us were visibly tense, ready to move if needed.

Moments from midnight, a ripple appeared. A soft glow emanated from above the point of arrival, which grew brighter by the second.

Reality split, pouring light into the glade. Snow on the ground and tree branches caught the light, reflecting it, surrounding us in a sea of blinding white blaze.

When the light subsided, the gators headlights appeared faded to my dazzled eyes.

In the glade, a new pedestal had appeared.

Four statues were above the pedestal. Two stood atop it, the other two floated, fixed in place.

"That doesn't make sense, didn't she already appear when Mipha arrive?" Zelda said.

"Could be another copy, or I guess the real one." I said, not moving forward.

Samus Aran stood upon the pedestal, wearing her iconic orange and red Varia suit. Beside her, stood a woman with pale skin, black yoga pants and a blue shirt with the words 'Wii Fit' embellishing the front.

The way the Wii Fit trainer's eyes seemed to blend into her skin disturbed me, though not as much as the two floating statues. A heavy iron chain stretched behind the black sphere, as if holding it back. The eyed sphere was split wide, revealing a tooth filled maw, ready to bite.

Last was a floating oversized right hand, wearing a white glove.

"Well, time to wake Samus up." Alfa said, stepping towards the statues.

"Shouldn't we go over who the others are? In case it isn't Samus, I'd like to be prepared." Zelda said.

"I already know it's going to be Samus, and have a good idea what effect the spirits are going to have on her." Alfa said.

"How are you so sure? I'm not sure." I said, hesitantly.

Alfa gave me a scathing look, "Come on Fossil, Master Hand, Chain Chomp, Whispy. I know you've made the connection, even if you are lying to yourself about it."

"What are you talking about? Mipha did you figure out what that spirit was doing?" Zelda said.

Mipha pulled a hand in front of her mouth, "I think we should trust Alfa on this princess." Mipha said.

I nodded, wanting to move the process along before we revealed Whispy's influence to Zelda. "Alright, she might be a little hostile at first, being dropped into a strange new world, but Samus is a hero, so I'm sure we have nothing to worry about." I said. "Want to do the honors?"

Alfa nodded and reached out, tapping Samus on her outreached arm cannon.

Once more, the glade was filled light.


	11. The Bounty Hunter Part 2

Samus vanished under Alfa's fingers, leaving a ball of red light just as Zelda had. Two orbs of white light joined the red one, where the Chain Chomp and Master Hand had floated before.

The Wii Fit Trainer stirred, only able to pass her unnerving eyes around the glade in the time it took for the three spirits to possess her.

I covered my eyes in preparation for the flash, Mipha and Zelda doing the same beside me.

When the light subsided, I pulled my hand away just in time to see Samus twitch, then swing her arm cannon directly at Alfa's face. He flinched, but stood his ground with the deadly weapon inches from his nose.

Words failed me, even though I expected this outcome as a possibility.

"Sooo are you going to shoot me? Or do you want to get inside and hear an explanation?" Alfa said, nodding in the direction of our home.

Samus turned her helmet, moving the least amount possible to keep all four of us in her sights.

"Lead the way." Samus said. Her voice allowed for no opposition, though she did lower her weapon.

Alfa turned and walked out of the glade, Mipha following hesitantly.

Samus gestured with her weapon, indicating that I should drive ahead of her. Pulling the gator around, I followed Mipha and Alfa. I glanced back to check if Samus was following, and found that she was hanging back, casting her head around as if scanning the forest around us. Which she probably was, I thought to myself.

"What is it with you and tall women Fossil?" Zelda whispered from the passenger seat.

"Hey, when I made the deal with Galeem I didn't remember how tall all the nintendo characters were. Besides, you showed up too. You're what, five foot six?" I said.

"Be that as it may, Mipha was not that tall before merging with Samus's form and Bowser was not a woman before arriving here." Zelda said.

"Merging, that's what the pattern is." I said, the pieces of the puzzle coming together in my mind.

Zelda gave me a questioning glance and I continued, "Mipha's spirit was yellow, as was the Shadow Queen's and Pauline's, and the resulting person's form was a mixture of the fighter and the yellow spirits. You and Samus appear red in spirit form and your resulting forms seem to be all you and Samus. The white spirits don't seem to have any influence on the body but do on the mind."

"That theory fits with all our observations, though it doesn't explain who becomes the mind in charge of the body." Zelda said, "Is there any application to this theory? We would only be gaining a few seconds insight before the new arrival manifests as is."

"I was able to change Mipha's and Bowsette's forms by removing the yellow spirits physical influence, maybe I can do the same with you and Samus?" I said.

"Perhaps, though unless that grey woman is more powerful than you said Samus was, there doesn't seem to be much tactical application. You said the pokemon trainer I possess wasn't physically powerful either. This theory does make me concerned, Mipha has been acting unlike herself with only one white spirit influencing her mind, what effect will two such spirits have on Samus?" Zelda said, glancing back at the armored woman following us.

I didn't want to point out that Mipha's behavior change wasn't from the spirit, but Zelda's words did make me wonder how much of a difference in Samus there might be.

Only the porch light on the double wide trailer was still on, guiding us home in the otherwise murky dark. Besides Alfa, my copies were sleeping in the farm house, which showed no sign of activity.

I turned off the gator, cutting the head lights, leaving us in the dim aura of the porch light. Samus's glowing visor was the only thing visible of her until she marched out of the dark behind us. Alfa reached the door first, opening it wide for Mipha and Zelda. He then held out his hand, beckoning both Samus and I into the house.

I motioned for Samus to go ahead. "You first." she said.

Her concern was misplaced, but I could understand why she was cautious after waking up in a strange place. I entered my home and made for the kitchen.

"Want anything to drink? Eat?" I called from the kitchen when Samus finally walked through the front door. She had to twist to allow her pauldrons clearance through the doorway, wide as they were.

"I want that explanation." Samus said, tone indiscernible through her helmet.

"Alright, Alfa you want to take this?" I said, leaning on the kitchen door frame.

Alfa nodded, "For convenience sake, you can call me Alfa, this is Princess Zelda of Hyrule, Princess Mipha of the Zora people and that's Fossil by the kitchen."

"Samus Aran, but you already knew that." Samus said.

"Yeah, we know who you are. I'm sorry to say it, but Galeem won, captured all but one fighter, conquered all of your reality and turned all the people into spirits. To ensure a permanent victory, Galeem sent those who could threaten its rule to other dimensions and made a deal with local inhabitants of those dimensions to keep the dangerous individuals from returning."

"Who is Galeem?" Samus said.

"Galeem offered.. Wait weren't you just at a fight with Galeem before you showed up here?" Alfa said.

"I was in orbit around Elysia. What planet is this?" Samus said.

"Earth." Alfa said.

"Not possible." Samus didn't raise her arm cannon, but her posture was tense, as if she was expecting us to draw weapons. "I'll ask one more time, what planet is this?"

"Please, there is no need for hostility. The princess and I were plucked from our home dimension as well. Galeem's reach extends across worlds and across time. We had expected a version of you who had been at the fight against the creature. It seems we were mistaken." Mipha said, stepping between Samus and myself.

Samus quietly stared at Mipha, looking as if she was checking the Zora out.

"What year is it?" Samus said.

"2019, by the Gregorian Calendar, not the...Galactic calendar?" Alfa said.

"Early Anthropocene, could be worse. Do you have comm devices yet?" Samus said.

"I've got a cell phone," I said, pulling my phone from my pocket.

Samus stared straight at my phone. She looked reminiscent of her time as a statue, still and showing no signs of life. I took that moment to study Samus on different level, extending my new senses to get a feel for the power her arrival had granted me.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked.

"Seeing if your story checks out." Samus said, "I've integrated the phone's internet access into my suit."

"Well, while you are doing that do you mind if some of us head to bed. We've got a long day's drive ahead of us tomorrow." I said.

"I'll stay up with Samus, we can find a place for her to bunk for the night." Alfa said, gesturing out of the trailer door. "We can fill you in on the rest tomorrow after you've confirmed everything."

Samus nodded, apparently focused on her heads up display and followed Alfa outside.

"I suppose she is a step up from Bowsette, but why couldn't you be attracted to more cooperative women." Zelda said.

"I don't know, and I'm starting to question how much I actually know about Samus's personality." I said.

"Indeed." Zelda said, before retreating to my bedroom for the night.

Mipha lingered, walking over for a hug, "Are you having second thoughts about leaving this to Alfa?" Mipha said.

"Nah, he's got this. It's a shame we didn't get the Samus from super smash brothers, but I'm sure she'll come around once she's had a chance to fact check." I said, leaning into Mipha's arms. As I spoke, I watched through Alfa's eyes as he helped set up a hammock for Samus in the machine shed. The bounty hunter seemed distant the entire time, no doubt researching her new locale.

"Though there is some good news, I think I figured out what power Samus is granting me. Well actually it would be the power the Wii Fit Trainer is providing me." I said.

"Oh? Do tell Fossil." Mipha said.

"It has something to do with fitness, with becoming stronger more quickly than a human should be able to. I think Galeem intended it for me to gain enough sexual stamina for pleasing nine partners, but it could help with our problems in the bed room so to speak." I said grinning up at her.

Mipha's eyes sparkled, "That is wonderful! Do you think it will make your bones stronger as well?" She said gleefully.

"Maybe? It would make sense." I said, basking in Mipha's enthusiasm.

"I certainly hope so, it would be nice not to have to hold back whenever we touch." Mipha said, rubbing her hands across my back.

"I would imagine so," I said, realizing just how delicately she had been holding me, "While we are gone I can ask my copies to test it out, so we know exactly how it works. Maybe Samus will be willing to train us."

"Please do," Mipha said, kissing me on the forehead. We said our goodnights and parted ways for our respective beds.

I spent the night as I usually did, watching my various copies expand my consciousness to new corners of the world. Insects riding in cargo holds had brought me to every continent save Antarctica and my control over seabird colonies was slowly bringing me closer to the southern continent.

"Fossil, we need to talk." Samus said, waking me from my slumber. She towered over my position on the couch.

Her helmet was off, exposing her stern face and flaxen hair done up in a ponytail. She still wore the rest of her power suit, making her head seem small compared to her armor.

"What time is it?" I groaned, reaching for my phone.

"Oh five hundred. I couldn't wait any longer." Samus said, clearly agitated.

My head was swimming, disorientation slow to fade after my quick departure from a deep sleep. Still, my disconnection from my physical body helped bring me focus. "What did you need?"

"I need to know everything else. After your clone left, I looked up Galeem and found super smash brothers. It's strange, but strangeness goes with dimensional travel." Samus said, "You're the local Galeem made a deal with, what sort of deal did you make?"

"So, before you jump to any conclusions, the deal is going to sound awful. Galeem approached me in a dream, and I know it is awful and I do not plan to abuse it and have done my best to not abuse it." I said.

"What deal did you make Fossil." Samus said through her teeth.

"Galeem is sending nine fighters and puppet fighters here, possessed by spirits that influence their behavior and form. As well, Galeem is granting me a power with every new fighter that arrives. In exchange, I was supposed to keep all nine of you from trying to return to Galeem's universe and interfere with its control. You are the fourth one to arrive." I said.

"All of us sent here are women right?" Samus said, her gaze withering.

"Yeah. Well, the third person sent here was male, but the spirits altered her form and she has embraced her new feminine identity. She left right after showing up though."

Samus drew in a long breath, held it, and released the air slowly, looking up at the ceiling while she did so.

When she turned her eyes back to me, I could swear they were murderous.

"What spirits are influencing me." She growled.

"You are actually one of the spirits possessing a puppet fighter, the Wii Fit Trainer. There's also a Chain Chomp and Master Hand, though I'm not one hundred percent certain what influence they would have, but it would probably be mental." I said, sitting upright. The knowledge that I could survive my bodily death was the only thing keeping me calm.

"Take a guess, what are they doing to me?"

"Well, all the powers and spirits seem to be sexual or utility in their effect. My guess is that Master Hand is giving you an impulse to give hand jobs or something similar." I said, eyeing the bedroom door.

Samus must have noticed me looking for escape routes, as she shifted her position, stepping in front of my view, "And the other one?"

"Chain Chomp, might be giving you an interest in being tied up? Or interest in pet play?" I said.

"Guess again."

My mind raced, picturing all the instances of the Chain Chomp in video games. It would act like a dog, lunging at anything nearby, usually Mario. Then it clicked.

"No impulse control?" I said, hoping to be wrong.

"Years of meditation are the only thing keeping me from attacking you or fucking you this very second, and I promise, you wouldn't survive either way." Samus's voice had a deadly certainty to it. "Now, Fossil, you are going to answer all of my questions honestly and quickly, then I am going to leave. If I ever have to come back here or if I ever see you again you will not live to regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir." I said. Sweat dripped down my brow.

"Good. First question, can you remove the spirits influence from me?" She said.

"Not mental influences, a future power might let me though." I said.

"How often are the fighters arriving."

"Once a week, exactly at midnight."

"Do you intend to stop me from leaving?" She said.

"Sort of," I said.

"Explain."

"I made another deal after the one with Galeem."

"Who with and what are the details?"

"Dharkon, it offered me the ability to possess people, and in exchange I have to keep its presence on this world secret until the last fighter is sent here, then I need to make sure all nine fighters fight alongside Dharkon against Galeem." I said.

"How does your possession ability work?" Samus said.

"I can produce a spirit or turn into a spirit form and while in this form, physical contact with a living creature allows me to possess them, gaining control of their body or allowing them to continue acting as they would otherwise, unaware of my possession."

"How fast are you in spirit form?"

"Pretty slow, slower than walking. I've usually just gone for touching a target and producing a spirit on contact rather than floating to a target."

Samus took in another deep breath, turned her back on me and paced across the room. I didn't say anything as she walked back and forth, afraid I'd disturbed her efforts to wrangle her impulses.

Samus kept her distance, standing tall once more in a clear attempt at intimidation, "Which deal do you intend to uphold?"

"Neither, the princesses, my copies and I are all preparing to fight both." I said.

"You'll lose. I've seen the videos of Galeem and Dharkon and there is no way you all will beat them. Why try?" Samus said.

"If we don't try then the world is doomed, by either Galeem or Dharkon. I'm not a soldier or a bounty hunter or a hero but I'm not going to just roll over without trying." I said, trying to show more confidence than I felt.

"What about the other fighter, you said she left. Don't you need all nine?"

"She agreed to show up the last day before the fight. She isn't much of a team player but she's strong, maybe enough to hold one of them while we team up on the other one." I said, "And I'm hoping you'll agree to stick around and train us."

Samus chuckled mirthlessly, and walked over to the chair next to the coffee table and sank into it. The armchair groaned from the weight of her armor, but held firm.

"Why do you think I would do that?" Samus said. She slumped with a tiredness that made me wonder if she slept at all since arriving.

"Your home dimension was conquered by Galeem and this one is doomed to the same fate if we don't do something. I know you aren't going to sit this out and our best chance is working together. We have thirty four days left and the power I got when you arrived lets me rapidly gain strength. I need to figure out how it works exactly, maybe I could be superhumanly strong in time for the fight. What's more Alfa isn't a lab grown clone, the power Dharkon gave me can be used to create duplicates. There are three more copies of me already and we can have functionally infinite more by possessing insects. We could be walking into that fight with an army of super strong copies of me, who can't die."

"What do you mean can't die?" Samus said, curious, and with none of the aggression she had started the interrogation with.

"What ever Dharkon did to me, I can survive bodily death, so can all my copies." I said, worried how she would respond.

What I didn't expect was for Samus to laugh, quietly at first then uproariously, shaking her head in disbelief. "So I just spent the last few minutes threatening your life, and you what? Humored me?" Samus said, resting her fingers against her forehead.

"Well, I'm sure you could have made the whole thing very painful, I didn't want to see how far you'd take it." I said. Samus's laughter was infectious, and despite how grave the situation had started, I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Samus's laughter faded into soft chortling, "I don't think I've laughed like that in years, it wasn't even that funny. This..this impulse thing is going to be a pain to manage." She sighed heavily, "You're right that I'm not going to walk away from this fight. What I'm also not going to do is spend the next few weeks running an army through boot camp. The fighters in the last fight lost because they brought an army on foot and lined up like a shooting gallery. I don't know what my future self or alternative self or whatever was thinking."

"What? Were you just going to lone wolf your way around the galaxy consuming beams of light?" I said, earning a glare for my comment.

"You sound like someone I know. Or rather knew. Galeem is going to pay for that." Samus said, as she clenched her armored hand on the chair's arm.

The door to my bed room creaked open. Out stepped Mipha and a groggy Zelda.

"Is everything alright?" Mipha said, a concerned look on her face.

Zelda looked more irritated than concerned, scowling at both Samus and I. "Why are you being so loud at such an hour?"

"Fossil was failing to convince me to stick around and play drill sergeant." Samus said as she stood from the chair. "I'll see you a few days before the fight."

Before Samus had made it halfway to the door, Zelda had intercepted her, standing firm in front of the door way, hands clasped together. "What is it princess?" Samus asked.

"Please stay, I need someone to teach me how to operate military weaponry." Zelda pleaded.

"I'm not staying princess, move out of my way." Samus said.

Both stood face to face, silent. The varia suit blocked my view of the exchange.

I craned my neck to see around Samus's armor. Zelda was making puppy dog eyes at the older woman, who was shaking her head wordlessly in response.

Samus sighed, and pulled up a holographic display in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Zelda said.

"Checking local currency values." Samus said, swiping with her hand through the illuminated display.

Closing the display, Samus turned to me. "Ten thousand US dollars, paid no later than a month after the fight with Galeem and Dharkon."

"Sure, I can pay that." I said hastily.

"Per day. In addition to living expenses up to the fight." Samus finished.

My stomach sank, mind racing to calculate how I could come up with that much money.

"I'll figure something out, yeah I think I can pay that." I said.

"You will pay that, this isn't a deal you can slip out of Fossil." Samus said sternly.

"Yes, yes I will." I said, "Anything else."

"We can go over a schedule later, but while I am training you and your copies, you all will follow my orders without hesitation, you will not leer at me and you will not use any powers on me without permission. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Go alert the others that we start at oh six hundred." Samus said.

"Err right, about that. Mipha and I are leaving for the coast in an hour, we'll be gone till Wednesday night." I said.

Samus glared, "If you aren't going to take this seriously, why should I take you seriously?" She said.

"We are selling stuff to fund this operation and buying weapons. That's where your pay is going to come from." I said.

Samus frowned, looking as if she were weighing her options. "Any other logistics I should know?"

"Bravo is the one doing my day job, Charlie runs errands, picks up food for everyone. Otherwise that's it." I said.

"Go take care of your business then." Samus said, "I'll have a couple days to figure that strength gain ability of yours with your clones. When you get back, I'll know exactly how far I can push you before you break."

Mipha leaned against my shoulder, "I thought she was a hero?"

I gulped, "So did I."


	12. The Bounty Hunter Part 3

Bravo's chest was burning, lungs begging for rest. His heart had gone beyond racing and was bludgeoning its way out of his rib cage.

Every jolting step was a struggle, every footfall on the frosty grass threatening to be his last.

The corners of his vision were blurring, distorting from exhaustion.

Joints felt numb from the endless impacts on the hard ground.

Alfa was immediately in front of Bravo, struggling just as much as he was. Behind them Charlie, then Delta.

Through Bravo's eyes I could see past Alfa to Samus jogging ahead of the pack. His eyes never wavered from the ranger rain jacket she was wearing over her shiny blue zero suit. Never risked dipping down to see how the suit clung tightly to her everything.

Samus's movements were effortless and she showed no indication of stopping or even slowing down on their run around the island.

Through Bravo's ears I could hear the words all my copies were chanting.

Even so close to collapse, they continued to mutter the same mantra under their breath.

"Fuck"

Step.

"You."

Another step.

"Fossil."

A honk brought me out of my focus on Bravo's exercise, as did Mipha's shout.

"Fossil! Watch where you are driving!" Mipha yelled from the passenger seat.

I veered back into my lane and took a quick glance around.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm back." I said.

"What were you doing?" Mipha said.

"My copies kept saying my name, took a quick peek as to why." I said.

"While you were driving?" Mipha said.

"Yeahhh not my best idea." I said. "What were we doing before?"

"You were telling me about the beach we are visiting first, then you drifted off." Mipha said, her tone prickly. For a moment, she resembled Samus in more ways than sharing her face. "I thought you wanted to spend time together?"

"I do, I'm so sorry Mipha." I said, sending her an apologetic look before setting my eyes back on the road. "How about this, I won't view any of my copies for the rest of the trip without checking in with you first, sound good?"

"Yes, that would be appreciated." Mipha said with none of the bite from before.

"Sorry again, I used to do the same thing with cell phones. Well... not when driving, but in conversation, I should have realized I was falling into bad habits." I said. "In any case, I think you are going to love the first beach we'll stop at. It is a little ways off from a whale watching viewpoint. There aren't many off the coast right now, since it isn't migration season, but I can guide you to a pod that's been hanging around there for a few days now."

"It sounds spectacular. One of the Zora people's greatest regrets is our failure to protect the leviathans of old. I never imagined I might get to see one alive." Mipha said, looking out the car window towards the forested hills.

"They might not be the same as your world's, but they are amazing creatures. Humans nearly wiped them out here as well, but they've made a come back, at least in some parts of the world." I said, weaving the van through the long bends in the road. "I'm hoping I can locate a blue whale soon though, they are the largest animal known to exist in the history of this planet and I can't wait to see how big they look through the eyes of a tiny fish."

"That would be quite the sight to behold." Mipha said. She set her hand on the console face up, fingers open. I took the offer and interlocked my fingers with hers.

We drove all the way to our first destination hand in hand. While we drove, I told her about the animals that lived in the coastal waters where we would be visiting and she told me about the creatures of her home world's oceans.

I only let go of Mipha's hand when I spotted the coin and jewelry store, grabbing the wheel to turn into the parking lot.

I walked out of the store a little while later, five hundred dollars richer and my cheeks hurting from how wide my smile was. Charlie was right, that did feel amazing.

Only a few steps away from the car my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Don't buy any guns." Samus said over the phone.

"Alright, why though?"

"You're a terrible shot."

"What about Zelda? I promised her I'd pick up something for her specifically." I said.

"I have the princess working on something else."

Before I could get another word in Samus hung up the phone. I considered peeking over at my copies to see what was going on, but held off.

"Who was that?" Mipha asked as I entered the car.

"Samus. Told me not to buy any guns." I said.

"Did she say why?"

"Apparently I'm a bad shot. Not sure why she said that though, I'm not that bad."

"Strange. At least that gives us more time." Mipha said.

"True enough, just one more stop in town, a couple small town jewelry stores, then we'll head towards the coast."

"We are still going to the gun store?"

"Nope, there is one stop I didn't tell you about." I said, unable to hide my grin.

Mipha gave me an uncertain glance, but didn't question further.

It was a short distance to our next destination, though weaving our way through a residential district made it feel much longer. I pulled up my phone and double checked the address before parking the car in front of an unassuming home.

"What are you up to Fossil?" Mipha asked.

"You'll see in a second," I said, pulling up a phone number and hitting call.

"Hello, this is Walker."

"Hello Walker, this is Fossil. I'm parked outside your place." I said into the phone.

"Great, I'll be out in a second." With that, the man hung up.

"You are welcome to join me or stay here. Your call." I said to Mipha.

"I'll join you, I am too curious not to." Mipha said as she climbed out of the car.

We were almost up to the door when Walker stepped out. He looked to be my age, curly red hair poking out from beneath his grey hat.

"Fossil right?" Walker said, reaching out to shake my hand.

"That's right," I said, taking his hand, "Walker, this is Mipha."

"Wow, you really are tall. You probably get that all the time, but wow." Walker said, blinking in surprise as he looked at Mipha.

"Not as often as you might think, it is a pleasure to meet you Walker." Mipha said, extending her hand to shake Walker's as well.

Greetings done, Walker led us to his garage. "Well, here it is. I still say it's over engineered." Walker glanced at Mipha, "Well, maybe not by much."

Walker's garage was a candy store. Each wall was lined with workstations, milling machines, table saws and more. A section was covered in shelf upon shelf of bins, floor to ceiling, each full of tools, toys and supplies.

In the center of the room sat my commission.

The largest ring of steel was six feet in diameter, with three progressively smaller rings within the biggest one. All of these were held together by eight steel spokes. Numerous attachment points were arranged around the circles and holding the structure up was an adjustable stand that could alter the angle the rings were held at.

"Thank you, it's perfect." I said in wonder at the frame in front of me, "I hope it wasn't too much trouble to make it on short notice."

"Nah, no trouble at all. If you need anything else made, I'm your guy." Walker said patting the steel frame. "It is a pain and a half to move though, I have a pallet jack in the back you can use, but lifting into your van might be a problem."

"Mipha, do you mind giving me a hand?" I said, turning to look at her. Her eyes brows were so much more expressive in her Samus form, making her dismayed expression all the more apparent. "You okay?"

"Yes, of course I can help." Mipha said, face losing all expression. Walker was about to leave the garage to retrieve the jack when Mipha stepped forward, knelt before the frame and lifted it from the ground. "Can you open the back of the van Fossil?"

"Yeah I got it." I said, jogging towards the van. Walker watched flabbergasted as Mipha carried the metal frame down his driveway and gently slide it into the back of my vehicle.

"Thanks again for this. You got the second half of the payment?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got the money." Walker said, still looking at Mipha, eyes wide, "Is she some kinda bodybuilder? Should I know her from somewhere?"

"Something like that. We're in a bit of a rush, but it was a pleasure doing business with you."

"Uh huh. Drive safe," Walker said, scratching his head as he walked back up to his house.

When we were loaded into the car, I spoke. "What's wrong Mipha?"

"Can you drive, please? I would rather not have this conversation here." Mipha said, looking down at her lap.

I complied, started the engine and drove towards the highway.

Neither of us spoke for nearly a mile. All the way my thoughts were racing, thinking over all our past interactions and searching for what I could have done to upset Mipha. I could feel my heart in my finger tips, gripping the steering wheel tight. She never knew about the bondage frame, I should have told her about the bondage frame. Why didn't I tell her about the bondage frame?

"I'm afraid of disappointing you." Mipha said softly.

"What?" I asked ineloquently, my thoughts derailed.

"You have done so much for me and I do not know if I can pay you back in the way you want."

"What do you mean pay me back?" I said.

"It is clear you want me to… to have sex with you, and I want to please you but I do not know if I'm ready. After the river..." Mipha trailed off, posture drooping.

"Mipha, you don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with. I'm so sorry I've been making you feel otherwise. The frame was something of an impulse purchase I made once we figured out we could make infinite gold with the super crown. It just means we have the option to be intimate without me getting hurt, it doesn't mean you are obligated to do so." I said, laying my right hand on the car console upright.

Mipha slowly grabbed my hand, interlocking her fingers with mine.

"I hope we do get to the point where you are comfortable, but please don't think that is the only thing I want from our relationship. I love that you get excited about animals as much as I do and you are a great travel partner. I really appreciate all the support you've given me as we've unravelled this whole Galeem, Dharkon thing." I said, watching Mipha's expression from the corner of my eye.

"I truly appreciate all you have done as well." She was smiling wistfully, eyes looking even more mournful than before.

I let go of Mipha's hand and took an exit.

"I thought we were heading south first?" Mipha said.

"Change of plans, we are going straight to the coast." I said with determination.

"What about the jewelry stores?" Mipha asked.

"We can swing by on our way back, besides I doubt the small town ones would have that much cash on hand." I said.

The afternoon sun provided little warmth on the midwinter day as we pulled into the beach access parking lot.

I stretched my legs as I opened the car door, relieving the dull ache that had been growing in my calves. Pushing up from my seat, I wandered over to the lots edge and gazed over the beach. The winter weather had kept away the crowds, but the most diehard beach fans and locals still wandered the sandy shores. A woman throwing a tennis ball for her dogs laughed near by us as the dogs romped in the sand, while a couple strolled hand in hand along the water's edge.

"I have missed this smell dearly." Mipha said, taking in a deep breath. The thought occurred to me that I still didn't know where Mipha's nostrils were in her Zora Samus fusion form. Or nares, as the case might be. "It is a shame I won't be able to change forms here, I would have loved to swim. This body cannot handle the cold as well."

"I wouldn't worry about that, we'll have plenty of privacy at our destination." I said, pointing down the beach. The sandy slopes gave way to a stone cliff face, topped with trees and towering compared to everything nearby. "There is a small beach on the other side of those cliffs, hard enough to reach that I doubt anyone will try while we are there. And if someone does get near, I have eyes everywhere."

A seagull nodded its head uncharacteristically from a fence post nearby, before taking to the air once more.

Returning to the car, I grabbed a bag and a pair of towels and we headed out down the beach. Our brisk pace turned into a jog as we played at the edge of the surf, racing just out of the tides reach. Mipha splashed in the seafoam, giggling as she did, pant legs darkened from the water.

When we arrived at the base of the cliff we looked about to make sure no one was near before I climbed onto Mipha's back and clung to her tightly.

She leapt.

Each impact was somehow less than I expected, her grace equaled with her strength as she softened each landing in her travel from boulder to boulder. The surf nipped at our heels, but Mipha kept us from taking a frigid plunge. In moments, we had made it around the cliff on the ocean's side.

Just as I had seen through sea bird eyes, there was a patch of sand no bigger than a tennis court, surrounded by boulders and debris from the cliffs at either side. The thundering of the waves echoed between the cliff walls, but the water didn't threaten to wash us away.

"Thank you for the lift." I said, releasing my tight grip and falling from Mipha's back. "See, plenty of privacy."

"You were right, this is perfect." Mipha said, unbuttoning her flannel. "Could you turn me back please?"

"Maybe…"

"Maybe?" Mipha said with suspicion as she began pulling off her pants.

"If you can catch me first." I said, bumping Mipha just as she was standing on one leg, sending her sprawling into the sand.

"Why you little!" Mipha shouted with faked anger, struggling to free her leg from the damp jeans.

My maneuver bought me a head start of seconds, the end of which was marked by Mipha slamming into me from behind. We tumbled into the sand, rolling and fighting to get to our feet, laughing and shrieking all the while.

Finally Mipha had me pinned in the damp sand, "There, caught you." She said with a dazzling smile, face just above my own, flaxen hair forming a canopy around my head. "Now turn me back."

"Fine fine, you win," I said grinning up at her. Practiced as I was, I no longer needed to turn to spirit form to manipulate Mipha's, and flipped the switch.

Blue eyes turned amber, human grin turned shark like, golden bangs turned crimson fins dangling over my head. Once again, I was looking into Mipha's true face.

"Feeling better?" I asked, just a little winded from our antics.

"Much so, I love seeing all of your face." Mipha said, sweeping hair away from my forehead with her soft hand.

"Me too." I said, looking deeply into her eyes. "Right, the patterns humans have on their skin. I wish I could see in ultraviolet as well. Through my own eyes that is."

"Someday perhaps, for now you will just have to settle for wondrous powers beyond most people's imaginings." Mipha said with a smirk.

"Okay, when you put it like…" I trailed off, realizing how close Mipha's lips were getting to my own. Her weight was pushing down on me in a comfortable closeness, our legs intertwined, holding each other in place.

"Fossil, I should tell you," Mipha whispered.

"Tell me what?" I said, playfully.

"This is an apology." Mipha said then leaned in to kiss me. I took a deep breath through my nose, then relaxed into the kiss, taking pleasure in the softness of her lips. Then it was over.

"Mmmm, what was that an apology for?" I said.

"This," Mipha said with a mischievous grin.

By the time I realized what was coming, it was too late. Icey cold splashed against my head and ran down my back. The seawater came rushing around me, not deep enough to submerge me, but drenching the back side of my body.

Mipha stood up, releasing me from her grip, giggling as I flailed dramatically in the water.

"You really aren't viewing through your copies eyes." Mipha said as gulls swooping around the cove cawed in a way that sounded eerily like laughing.

"I wasn't, and this is how you repay me." Sitting up as the water receded around me, shaking my fist in an overly exaggerated motion, "I hope you know this means war."

I pounced, trying to grab Mipha's leg and pull her down into the water with me. She darted away effortlessly, keeping just out of my reach. Mipha and I were laughing the entire time I pursued her, my efforts constantly thwarted by her speed.

She was toying with me and I couldn't bring myself to mind that fact.

"Alright, I think we will have to call this a draw." I said, struggling to catch my breath. My clothes were drenched, skin covered in goosebumps and stinging from the salt chafe. Even so there was a smile on my face.

"Are you certain, you were so close to catching me last time." Mipha said with a toothy grin.

"I know when I'm beat. Besides, you should get a swim in before it gets dark." I said, nodding to the sun hanging low over the horizon.

"Fair point, will you be alright here alone?" Mipha said.

"Oh yeah, I'll be warming up here. And I'll be there with you watching through my copies." I said, peeling my soaked shirt off of my torso.

"Very well, see you shortly Fossil." Mipha said before diving into an oncoming wave.

"See you soon Mipha," I said softly. Peeling off my pants, I pulled out my extra clothes from my bag and got dressed, warding away the cold. Pulling a towel around me, I hunkered down and refocused my view.

The sheer amount of creatures that I possessed in these waters meant I could get a wide view of the depths, peeking at just surface levels of information from each to form a greater picture. It wasn't as detailed as gazing through a single creatures perspective, but it allowed me to find Mipha easily enough, even with how fast she swam.

It was clear now that she was holding back when she had been swimming in the river. I could feel her wake through shellfish on the ocean floor at the same time as through sea jellies near the surface. Shoals of fish took advantage of this, riding the current she created behind her.

As before, I watched her play. She twirled through under sea arches, danced through kelp beds and burst from the ocean's surface, flying high before diving below. This time, I was able to follow her, changing perspectives as she out paced my host or moved on from a host's home turf.

A family of harbor seals took interest in Mipha's antics and drew close. Through their eyes I could see Mipha smile and slow down to let them approach. She stood still as well she could in her watery world, treading sluggishly in place. The family seemed cautious, hanging at the edge of the murk while keeping Mipha in sight, clicking and warbling curiously.

A yearling was the first to break caution, swimming straight up to Mipha and bumping her with his nose. She scratched behind the seal's head in response, causing the mammal to lean into her touch. The rest of the family took this as a sign of safety and drew closer, swimming right along side Mipha as she made a lazy circuit through a patch of kelp.

Mipha's head cocked to the side and she pushed with her hand to turn seaward. "Can you hear that?" She said, mouth unmoving. I decided to ask how she could talk underwater later and listened for the sound. Beyond the conversations of the seal family, their ears picked up a distant song, deep and long.

I took control of the seal in front of Mipha's face and had it nod. Mipha swam towards the source of the song, waving goodbye to the seal family as she did.

Through the eyes of a pelican I could see Mipha's red silhouette beneath the waves and a heart shaped puff of water shot from her destination. I watched Mipha approach out of the gloom from the whale's view, sensing her through sonar long before seeing her. The dozen grey whales showed no fear of Mipha, changing their song on her arrival and circling to get a better look at her.

My host swam along side Mipha, eye only a few feet from her face. At this distance, I could see Mipha's expression of wonder clearly, and her smile.

The pod seemed just as fascinated by Mipha as the seals, each taking their turn to gaze at the Zora in their midst. Without being able to read their minds I couldn't be certain, but it appeared like they were fawning over her. Each time a whale would get close, their ponderous heartbeat quickened slightly.

It was getting dark when Mipha finally broke away from the pod, who sang mournfully at her departure. With the speed she was travelling, I decided not to follow Mipha's progress and refocused on my own body.

By the time I had bundled up my wet clothes and packed up our stuff, Mipha was emerging from the waves, face beaming with joy.

"They were magnificent Fossil, I can hardly believe my own eyes." Mipha said as she strode her way up the beach.

"Pretty amazing animals," I said, tossing Mipha a towel once she got near enough. She patted herself down with the towel before sitting next to me.

"Thank you for this, I really can not describe how much it means to me to." Mipha said as she wrapped her arms around me, "This was a fantastic day."

"It isn't over yet, we have a bit of a drive to our hotel then I'd like to take you somewhere special." I said.

"What do you have planned Fossil?"

"Nothing surprising, just an amazing restaurant up the coast. They should have plenty of grass free options for you to eat." I said, "Though now that I think about it, you could probably eat grass based foods without issues when in Samus form."

"I had considered that as well, though I would need to stay in that form longer than I would like. If I were to try it, I suppose now would be the time." Mipha said.

"Well no pressure either way." I said, pulling Mipha closer.

We sat together in silence, watching the sun dip down over the horizon, painting the sky hues of crimson, peach and amber.

The stars were coming out when we finally moved, the tide lapping at the edges of our site.

By the time we reached the hotel the long drive and my short sleep the night prior were catching up to me. Pulling on my button up and trousers felt like a struggle, putting on my tie even more so.

"Oh Fossil! You look so dapper." Mipha said as she stepped out of the bathroom.

All my tiredness washed away as I took in the sight before me. Mipha was wearing a vibrantly blue single strap dress that flowed with her body. Over that she wore most of the jewelry she had arrived with, the silver and sapphires glittering around her neck, wrists, ankles and waist. The blue flats on her feet matched her dress, and blended in with her silver anklets. Her blonde hair was unadorned and somewhat disheveled, a testament to her inexperience with hair and a look I found endearing.

"Fossil, say something please, you are just staring."

"Wow...wow, sorry but you left me speechless there." I said, still not over the shock.

Mipha blushed, looking down and away from me, "Thank you, though I'm sure it is in part because I look like her."

"I could change you back and prove you wrong?" I said with a grin.

"Please do not, I'm afraid this dress will split as is, my fins would not help that matter." Mipha said with embarrassment.

"When did you get the dress?" I asked, still marvelling at her.

"The princess did when she went on errands with Charlie last week to get me some clothing. She insisted I bring this on our trip." She said, hand covering part of her lower face.

"I need to thank her when we get back, you look amazing. Maybe we could adjust it to accommodate your fins when we have some free time." I said.

"Perhaps. Shall we?" Mipha said, lowering her hand from her face and reaching it out as I helped put her jacket on.

We walked the few blocks to the restaurant hand in hand and I couldn't help but smile every time I snuck a peak at Mipha.

The restaurant was sparsely populated with what I would guess were locals, filling the candle lit space with a low chatter. Empty bottles rested on shelves all throughout the restaurant, their wicker bottle holders individually decorated with signatures, doodles and other art.

When the greeter seated us and left us with menus, Mipha looked curiously at the full wine bottle on the table, the bottle holder blank.

"We could buy it if you'd like? They would give us some pens and we could draw on it and they would put it up on the shelves when we left." I said, "Could be a nice thing to come back to if the world doesn't end."

"It would indeed," Mipha said. "You do not seem as nervous about that as you once did, what changed?"

"I did, especially with this strength ability I've gained, even if it is half as good as I believe it is, I'm feeling confident I can stop Dharkon and Galeem myself." I said, glancing quickly at the menu before settling on my decision.

"I recall telling you that no one person is responsible for saving the world, I hope you do not forget that." Mipha said slyly, "I do not recognize this word, does risotto have a grass in it?"

"It does, the cioppino shouldn't however, though if that doesn't sound good I can check through the menu for other things?" I said.

Mipha searched the menu with her finger, "The cioppino sounds lovely."

"Back to your statement though, I'm not one person, not anymore. I'm a million and counting people, well probably a lot more than that but I can't track that number instinctively." I said. "Assuming the game is remotely accurate, I don't think we have anything to worry about. Even without a strength boost we have Samus Aran, renowned world saver and a fire breathing dragon lady on our side. And a powerful Zora princess."

"And the princess of Hyrule. After reviewing the fight with Dharkon I believe her ability to seal away darkness could apply to the creature as well." Mipha added.

The waitress arrived at this moment, brandishing a pearly smile. "Do you need more time or have you decided what you'll be having?"

I gestured for Mipha to go first, "I'll have the cioppino."

"Alright, and you sir?" The waitress said.

"I'll have the chicken picatta, and could we buy this wine?"

"Of course, do you know about the bottles?" The waitress asked as she opened the bottle and poured us a pair of glasses. When I confirmed that I did she continued, "I'll bring out some pens for you both."

When she left, I spoke, "If Zelda could banish Dharkon, that would make things a lot easier. That thing, it really gave me the creeps when I had to speak with it. I'm really looking forward to this being all over."

Mipha lifted her glass, "To this being all over."

I repeated her toast and tapped my glass against hers, taking a short sip of the wine.

Our conversation drifted to happier topics after that. We talked about our childhoods, of past adventures and light hearted antics. All the while we took turns drawing on the wicker bottle holder, passing it back and forth even after our food came out.

In an unspoken agreement we had decided to draw the same thing. By the end of the evening our bottle was covered in all manner of sea life. Whales and seals swam between shoals of fish and through wavy lines of kelp.

We were waiting for for my debit card to be brought back when my phone chirped.

"What was that?" Mipha asked.

"My work phone, I set a special text sound for that in case one of my copies needed to get a hold of me quickly." I said as I fished my phone from my pant's tight pockets.

More messages were received as I read through the first.

"Is everything alright?" Mipha said concernedly.

"Yeah, I think so. One of my copies texted me, calling me a bunch of names I'm not going to say out loud here, then said to check what Charlie is doing." I said, "Do you mind if I check?"

"Not at all, thank you for asking however." Mipha said.

"Just a quick peek." I said, then shifted my focus to my copies back at the ranch.

Alfa and Delta were asleep in the farm house, though I could feel their consciousnesses directed to Charlie. Bravo was next to them, the one who had been texting me. He plugged the phone into the charger then laid down in his sleeping bag.

Shifting my focus to Charlie, the reason for Bravo's text became clear.

"Well, Fossil Prime is finally here, I guess we can get this show on the road. Even though the others and I hate your guts right now, I'm not gonna do this without you watching." Charlie said, twirling the object in his hands around. He was in the bathroom facing the large mirror above the sink. His mouth tasted of vodka and rum, leaving no question what the red contents of the cup perched on the counter was.

"After all, we've all thought about it."


	13. The Bounty Hunter Part 4

I shifted my focus to find the waitress was returning my card. When she left, I signed the receipt hastily and stood.

"We need to get back to the hotel." I said.

"What is wrong?" Mipha said.

"Wrong would be the wrong word," I said as I helped Mipha put on her coat, "Charlie is about to use the super crown for… well, for recreational reasons."

I could feel my face warming up at the thought of what Charlie was doing right now, even as we stepped into the cold outdoors.

"And you wish to watch? Is that where you are going with this Fossil?" Mipha said. Her voice was soft, understanding, though her brow was furrowed in contemplation.

"If you don't have a problem with that, I don't want to push you out of your comfort zone." I said, forcibly holding back from peaking at Charlie.

"You are not, if this is to become a regular occurance we will need to discuss it further." Mipha said, reaching out to take my hand, a smile on her face, "I'll guide you to the hotel room, just.. just focus on what Charlie is doing."

I had a feeling there was something Mipha wasn't telling me, her eyes had a sparkle to them. It brought to mind our moment on the beach, while she held me down in the surf. The question was on the tip of my tongue but I hesitated, taking her hand in mine.

Shifting focus to Charlie, I found myself in his body, feeling the tight band of his boxers against our skin, the cool air keeping our hairs on end and the whole body ache of a heavy workout hanging on everything else.

Charlie was talking, a conversation I had half missed and not directed completely at me. His words felt like that were my own, jaw and tongue under his control.

"It wasn't just for the toys, or to get away from Drill Sergeant Samus." Charlie paused, his view directed on another copy, most likely Bravo in the farm house.

A black plastic bag was in his right hand, and in the reflection of the bathroom mirror Charlie stood in front of, I could make out a rod like shape pressed against the inside of the bag. Something phallic.

"Whatever, we all needed food and an extra hour to get this stuff is completely reasonable." Charlie said, waving his left hand flippantly, golden crown bouncing in his grip. "I don't need to justify myself to myself. That's just ridiculous. No more delays."

Charlie let the bag drop to the ground at the base of sink counter. Snatching up the cup, he downed its contents in a quick gulp, sharing the burning sensation with all of us watching through his eyes.

He lifted the crown and smacked it onto his head, hard enough that I winced.

The pain didn't last long. As soon as the crown was atop Charlie's head a cascade of stars danced around his body like a veil, taking away all the aches and pains from head to toe.

The changes were over in a flash, leaving a woman's reflection where Charlie's had been a second ago.

Both Zelda and Bowsette had had the same heart shaped face, glossy blonde hair, wide blue eyes, button nose and puckered lips Charlie now stared at. Charlie reached up to his face, running a black and violet glove over his soft puffy lips, pouting them at his reflection and giggling at the sight.

His laugh was a high titer, where Bowsette's had been coarse and throaty.

"This is so weird." Charlie said with another giggle, leaning until his nose was nearly pressed up against the mirror. Perfectly groomed hair flowed around his head as he moved, longer than I had ever grown out my own.

He placed two gloved hands on the edge of the counter, looking as if he planned to push himself onto the counter to get an ever closer look. Gazing down at his attire he seemed to think better of it. The ball gown he wore was primarily a shiny black, with violet trim and what looked like amethyst jewelry embedded in the fabric.

The color similarities with Dharkon were undeniable, making my own body's skin crawl at the thought. Charlie seemed to not notice or ignore the fact, pushing away from the counter, spinning in place and watching the gown swirl around him.

"I can see the appeal, dresses are fun." Charlie stumbled and caught himself, bracing against a wood lined wall. "Right, a little tipsy. Spinning probably wasn't the best idea."

Charlie righted himself, turning to the mirror, chin raised, exposing the silken collar lined with violet lace that wrapped tightly around his neck.

Gazing intensely at his reflection, he glared, looking more down than forward, a look of haughty royalty. "You boys had better appreciate the show I'm putting on for you." Charlie growled, though with how squeaky his voice was the effect was sillier than intimidating. Charlie must have thought so as well, because he broke into a fit of laughter, pouring another cup of vodka from the bottle on the side shelf. "Sorry, I can't do it, sorry, not gonna be able to pull off scarousing."

Charlie sipped at his cup, looking straight into his reflected eyes as he did so, making it seem like a gorgeous woman was fluttering her long lashes right at me. He arched his eyebrows, taking a few tries before managing to pull off a convincing seductive gaze. I could feel my heart rate quicken and Mipha squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Mmm, so gentlemens, I guess I should stop playing around and get to the part we've all been looking forward to." Charlie said, setting the cup down and running his hands over the exposed triangle of skin just below his neck. I could feel the silken gloves caress his skin as if it was my own, feel his face flush as my own was doing the same.

"This is… this is Zelda's Peach dress. The style not the actual dress. So it should have, wait one sec." Charlie reached an arm around to his back, feeling around the fabric.

"Fuck, stupid clasp." Charlie said under his breath, grasping clumsily. I decided to blame the alcohol instead of being embarrassed that my copy didn't realize why he couldn't reach the clasps along his spine, tucked under fabric. Peach didn't have double jointed shoulder like we did.

Charlie's face was turning more red by the second as he struggled to free himself while millions of eyes watched him. My own face grew warmer in turn, the second hand embarrassment that myself and every other copy felt was no doubt worse than Charlie's own feelings on the subject.

I wanted it to end, for Charlie to realize it wasn't going to work and ask for help, rather than continue to struggle fruitlessly. At least one of my copies felt the same way. When Charlie was facing away from the door a hand touched his back, undoing the clasps and freeing him from the bustier, leaving Charlie's back bare save for a bra strap.

Charlie spun, and Bravo grabbed him by the shoulders before he toppled into the counter.

"Thank you," Charlie said, reaching an arm to Bravo's chest to steady himself. I could feel Bravo's hands through the thin fabric.

"No problem," Bravo said, his breathing heavy, like he had been running moments ago.

They stood at arms length from each other, looking into the others face. Eye to eye. Bravo's hair was disheveled, but short enough that it didn't look bad messy. The foot between them became inches, both of them leaning closer.

"No." Charlie said, breaking the silence.

"No?" Bravo said.

"We aren't that narci.. narcissistic. I'm not doing anything with a copy of me that looks like me, that is me doing me you know?" Charlie said, pushing off of Bravo's chest and wobbling

"Right, no I totally get it, you look like someone else and it was easy to ignore that part and.." Bravo trailed off, "I'm gonna go, I'll be in the living room if you need anything else."

Bravo turned to leave, pausing by the door, "I'm taking this, and you will be drinking water from now on, got it." Bravo said, brandishing the vodka bottle like a weapon.

Charlie nodded and saluted at the same time, head bobbing side to side more than up and down and Bravo left the bathroom.

Putting a hand on his forehead, Charlie stepped in front of the mirror once more, eyes a little glazed, "where was I?"

The ball gown began to fall away from Charlie's chest due to the movement.

"Right! The fun part!" Charlie said, hastily pulling the bustier off and shimmying out of the lower gown.

Finally free of the black gown, Charlie stared, hands on curvy hips, gently swaying and turning to check over as much as possible. A black bra held large breasts tightly, such that I could feel the bite of the strap against Charlie's side and back. The deep cleavage drew Charlie's eyes, and I could feel myself hardening at the sight.

Black hose clung to Charlie's long legs, a sensation that only vaguely reminded me of the spandex sports wear I had once worn. A pair of shiny black shoes adorned Charlie's feet, the two inch heels explaining some of his unsteadiness. Besides the five plus shots he had downed so far.

Charlie's gloved hands started to roam, letting silk caress naked skin. Reaching behind his back once more, Charlie managed to unclasp the bra, pulling it away and letting pillowy breasts fall free.

"I still can't believe tits real, you know?" Charlie said, more to himself than the collective us, hand touching his new breasts, sending tingles of pleasure to all the Fossil copies watching. Each delicate hand only covered a third of a breast's surface, as large as they were. He laughed again, bouncing flesh back and forth while cupping them from below.

Spotting the bag, Charlie bent down at the waist in a sudden burst. He gasped in surprise as his new features swung unexpectedly, sending a flare of discomfort through his lower back. A pain we could feel.

Scooping up the bag, Charlie groaned, rubbing his back, "Right, gravity is a thing. A thing thing."

The discomfort faded and Charlie fished through the bag. "As some of you already know I! Me! Charlie Fossil! Got myself a few toys today," Charlie bit at his lush lower lip as he looked up into the mirror, "which I was planning on lending out to other me people. But now I'm thinking I might just keep it all to myself. Charlie self."

Charlie dumped an assortment of brightly colored objects from the bag onto the counter, before arranging them in a line on the counter. Some I recognized and had used with past partners, others I most certainly had no plans on using myself.

The foot long novelty dildo loomed over the rest of the toys, and I hoped Charlie was only messing with us.

There was no way that was meant for actual use.

Next to the novelty dildo were smaller dildos, plugs, beads and vibrators of various size and shape.

Something brushed my ear, my real ear, not Charlie's.

"What is Charlie doing now?" Mipha whispered in my ear.

I shifted focus and found that my eyes were covered, Mipha's hand press against my face, "What are you doing?" I said.

I was seated on something soft. A low hum of a heater nearby made me certain we had made it back to the hotel and I must have been sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Just tell me what Charlie is doing right now, please?" Mipha said softly.

I shifted views and gasped as a pulsing vibration sent a shudder up my spine. Something wonderful was nestled between Charlie's legs, buzzing through hose and undergarments against organs I hadn't gotten to try out in my brief times possessing women.

Charlie was gasping for breath as I was, mewling softly, leaning with one hand against the mirror and one hand desperately holding the vibrator tightly between his legs. Amethysts gleamed as they swung from Charlie's ears.

I could barely muster the will to pull back to my own body, finding my cock straining to escape my pants.

"Charlie… Charlie's using a vibrator." I said between gasps.

"You seem to be enjoying that," Mipha said, hand still pressed over my eyes. "Can you split your attention between your own body and Charlie's?"

"I can try," I said, getting control over my breathing. Curiosity grew as to what Mipha had planned, but I wanted to know what Charlie would do next.

"Please do," Mipha whispered from somewhere near.

I shifted my attention, trying my best not to fixate completely on Charlie.

The thrum of the vibrator was stronger than before, my head fuzzy from the torrent of sensation tearing across my skin. Charlie's skin.

Charlie was leaning back in a wooden chair, legs splayed, one hand tugging at a rosey pink nipple. I couldn't see over the counter to the mirror, Charlie's faux cam show abandoned to pursue those blissful vibrations. Instead I could follow Charlie's gaze to heaving breasts and the vibrator Charlie was clutching like the world depended on it, knuckles white.

Charlie was just shy of screaming between sharp intakes of breath, drowning out even the vibrators stead buzz. Drowning out the sounds of a zipper.

Something soft and slick enveloped the tip of my penis.

My hips bucked in surprise and strong hands held me in place.

The view of Charlie's breasts being grasped by desperate hands was shared by the sight of Mipha, still in Samus form, crouched beside the bed, my dick in her mouth.

I tried to talk, but my words became a string of incoherent sounds. Crinkles formed at the edges of Mipha's eyes.

She pulled back and slowly licked the base of my glans, gave me a dazzling smile, then took my cock in her mouth and sucked hard. My muscles tensed, sweat rolled down my brow, my heart raced.

My member slide deeper into her throat, not because she lowered her head, but because lifted me by my hips, pulling me further within her, standing upright, with my head nearly hitting the ceiling. I was at her mercy, held in a grip I had no hope to escape, and she used that power to throat fuck herself with my cock.

I ran my hands through Mipha's hair and held tight, clinging on as she bobbed me up and down.

All the while Charlie was squirming in the chair, flailing as the vibrator's pulse waxed and waned, the newest setting threatening to fling him from the chair.

Mipha nose pressed against my skin, my entire length inside of her.

Tears formed in Charlie's eyes, in my eyes. My head head was swirling.

My breasts, my cock, my clit, my skin.

Everything was blending into a overwhelming pulse of bliss.

Charlie shuddered.

I shuddered, cock pumping hot cum down Mipha's throat.

Defying my expectations, she held me tight, mouth still enveloping me, blue eyes beaming, riding out my spasms with a firm grasp.

I felt light headed as Mipha set me on the edge of the bed. Flopping down, I withdrew my gaze on Charlie as he clumsily poured himself a cup of water.

I was panting, dead to the world save for my lover curling up against my back.

"What… what inspired that?" I choked out.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself?" Mipha said her arms wrapping around me. I grabbed blindly along her arms until I found her hands and held them tightly with my own.

"Enjoyed myself? Mipha I think you might have ruined sex for me. Every time I have sex I'll be comparing it to this and it will never live up to the bar you just set." I said with false anger. Mipha giggled into my shoulder and I rolled around to face her, "How could you?"

"I am terribly sorry, what ever was I thinking?" Mipha said, with a faked seriousness.

"Kidding aside, that was turn on after turn on. Did one of my copies tell you my kinks? Did you guess?" I asked, looking into her eyes.

"I guessed, to an extent. It is my understanding that all the spirits sent here are tailored to your interests. I have felt urges, instincts of a sort from Whispy for a while now, I decided to string the ideas provided together." Mipha said.

That soured my mood.

"I hear you, and you aren't wrong that all of the spirits are people or encourage actions I find arousing. I just… I'm not proud of some of the things that turn me on, you know?" I said. "I don't want you to do something you aren't comfortable with or is degrading just for my sake."

"You have said this before and I will tell you again, I will let you know if I am not comfortable with something. Please trust me on this Fossil." Mipha said, setting a hand on my cheek.

"I do trust you, I'm sorry for implying otherwise." I said.

"Is your desire to be a woman something you are not proud of?" Mipha asked.

"Uhh, not really. I mean, it isn't so much a desire to be a woman specifically as to experience life and everything involved from other perspectives, different sexes, people, species or whatever. I'm not ashamed of that." I said, "The part I'm ashamed about is that I also find the idea of someone else experiencing life and specifically sex from another perspective arousing, whether they want to or not."

Mipha was quiet. The guilt I had been avoiding thinking about since learning about the deals in full reared its ugly head.

"Bowser, or rather Bowsette. You find the idea of a monster being forced to live as a woman exciting?" Mipha said. Her words came slowly, cautiously, as though she were treading through dangerous waters. Each word dug deeper, carving a space for my guilt to fester.

"Yeah," was all I could manage to say.

"And me? Being turned into a human, experiencing sex as a human? You find that exciting as well?" She said.

"Yeah."

"And you think I had not figured this out before?" Mipha said.

My emotions died due to whiplash, leaving me numb, uncertain what to say.

"Fossil, I am well aware that the heart can have desires that the mind would regret should they become reality. We have spoken enough that I know you regret your part in our arrival here and our circumstances. I did not know the specifics, but I did realize the shapes my body could take were meant to be pleasing to you. It is why I felt confident enough to bring up my feelings for you." Mipha said. Her tone was too kind to be patronizing, but from anyone else it would feel as such.

A weight I hadn't realized I had been carrying fell from my shoulders.

"Was that it? Are you alright Fossil?" Mipha said gently.

"Yeah, that was the main thing." I said, sighing, "have I told you how awesome person you are lately?"

"Not recently no. I think you are an awesome person as well." Mipha said with a smile, "though this makes me curious, what other desires, or kinks as you called them, do you have?"

"Oh man, what kinks don't I have," I groaned, rolling onto my back and raising my hands to count them off. "Transformation, genderswap, body swap, possession, fusion, I guess those are all covered by the whole new experiences I thing. Bondage has come up already, tall women, and short women for that matter. Costumes is another one."

I racked my brain, thinking about what had already come up in the people who had shown up. "Dominant partners, submissive partners, monster girls, nightmare waifus, intimidating partners, strong partners, futa. Mind control and a bunch of mind altering stuff as we've seen with the whole spirits thing."

"What is a nightmare waifu, should I be concerned?" Mipha asked.

"Um, I don't think so. A nightmare waifu would be something really inhuman, that could form a meaningful relationship despite a monstrous appearance. Obviously a lot of these weren't things I could actually experience, at least before last month and I doubt every single one of my kinks will show up with only five more people due to arrive. I think we are safe from a sexualized Calamity Ganon showing up." I said.

"We had better be, that is something I would not tolerate." Mipha said, her tone darker than I had heard ever before.

"Right, we should be fine, I'm not that into pig girls." I reiterated, "what else? I guess there is the more realistic stuff like hand jobs, blow jobs, cunnilingus, tit jobs, drunk sex, high sex, sex games, pet play, latex, swimsuits."

"Is that why you suggested a bikini rather than a robe

when I first arrived?" Mipha asked.

"It may have been a factor. That was what? Twenty something kinks? I guess a lot of those don't count as kinks per say, more like fetishes and some of them overlap or are categories with lots of subtypes. There are more, but they are more like preferences or turn ons." I said, putting down my hands and grasping Mipha's.

"I think I'm beginning to understand what a strange man you are." Mipha said.

"Yeah, you're dating a fucking weirdo. Deals with alien monsters, would definitely sleep with an alien monster if it was mutually respectful dynamic." I said with a grin.

"I suppose in this world I would fall under that description to some extent." Mipha said.

"I suppose so, though with the most favorable definition of monster as possible." I said. Thinking back on her words I bounced to a sitting position, "does this mean you'll sleep in my bed tonight? I didn't want to assume.."

I had purchased a room with two queen beds and had wanted to give Mipha the option to have her own bed, given that I had no idea about her people's customs around sleeping in the same bed.

"Of course Fossil, I thought that was obvious." Mipha said.

"Just wanted to be sure, I was hopeful." I said grinning ear to ear. "Though back to the questions of kinks and fetishes, is there anything you want to try? Fantasize about?"

For the first time all night Mipha blushed, crimson creeping above her high cheekbones. "There is one thing, besides the urges Whispy has given me. I do not know how we would accomplish it however."

I waited for her to continue, but her face only grew more red, "okay if you really don't want to say I won't force you, but I just gave you a laundry list of all my interests. Please give me at least one thing I can do especially for you."

"I feel as though the Zora people are less creative compared to humans when it comes to sex and I am only reinforcing that idea." Mipha pursed her lips, head tilted down, "I would like to find a way we could be together underwater. It would feel, more natural I think, more comfortable."

"You don't have to justify it, and that does sound interesting." I said, thinking of how we could accomplish her desire.

"Only if we can ensure your safety, I could not handle hurting you again." Mipha said.

"Of course"

Our pillow talk petered out from there and we prepared for bed. As I got ready, I let Mipha know I'd check in on my copies and found that Bravo was helping a very drunk Charlie drink a cup of water. The super crown still perched on Charlie's head.

Pleased that my copies were looking out for each other I checked to make sure the 'do not disturb' tag was on our door handle and turned Mipha back to her hybrid form.

We crawled beneath the crisp hotel blankets, arms wrapped around each other in close embrace. Mipha's arm fins contoured the curve of my lower back, the pressure helping me fall asleep in a matter of minutes.

My night routine of watching my copies spread across the world had started to become a nightly sightseeing tour, viewing the most spectacular landmarks and landscapes through the eyes of animals around the globe. Even with my confidence growing by the day, I couldn't shake the feeling I might never get the opportunity to see these sights in person.

After a night of marveling at Mayan temples hidden in thick jungle vegetation, I woke to the sunrise and a surprise.

The small gut I had formed over the winter was replaced with a toned belly, hidden beneath a thin layer of body hair. What's more, I felt amazing, like every motion was effortless, invigorating even.

"Good morning," Mipha said softly as I began to move, though her eyes grew concerned as she spotted my bare chest "you've changed, how are you feeling?"

I had barely exercised yesterday, playing with Mipha in the surf, walking through town, our antics last night, yet my body had noticeably changed in the matter of hours. If that amount of exercise had produced these effects, I could hardly imagine what changes my copies must have undergone.

Right, Mipha was waiting for an answer.

"I feel fantastic." I said. For the first time since Samus's arrival, I was looking forward to her training.


	14. The Bounty Hunter Part 5

My phone rang, the distinct jingle of my work phone ringtone. Giving Mipha a shrug, I reached over and grabbed my phone.

"Hello?"

"Did you exercise at all yesterday?" Samus said.

"A little bit, we were just talking about that."

"How much?"

"Not much, a few minutes of running, a couple miles walk." I thought about how to phrase it, "some bedroom.."

"Stop. Keep it at that. Nothing that raises your heart rate, have Mipha carry your bags and anything else more than five pounds, no more than you already walked in a day." Samus said.

"Why?" I wasn't about to force Mipha to carry everything.

"This is an order Fossil, you are paying me to train you and your clones and to give us the best chance at victory. No exercise." Samus replied.

I frowned at the contradiction of her statement, trying to divine her motivation, "How does this work? This power?"

Samus was quiet for long enough that I thought she had hung up, and she started talking just as I checked if the line was still connected. "Any physical activity you or your clones do appears to be effortless after a night's rest and physical capability rises correspondingly."

The phone clicked, call ended.

"Who was that?" Mipha asked from beside me, stretching her arms above her head.

"Samus, she doesn't want me to exercise at all." I said, giving my phone a confused look as I thought back on her wording.

"Did she say why?" Mipha said.

"No, but they figured out how my strength power works apparently. Sounds like I will gain a lot of strength over night based on how much I exercise in a given day." I hopped out of bed, checking out my body for any other noticeable changes.

"It is strange that she wants you to not exercise, given such a dramatic benefit. Any thoughts as to why?" Mipha said as she got out of bed.

"I'm kind of thinking it is a control thing. Like she wants to feel in control over me maybe?" I said.

"Perhaps, she did not give me the best impression. I am all the more glad since meeting her that her personality has had no impact on my own." Mipha said, gathering up our stuff.

"Oh yeah, I'm really glad possessing a Samus copy didn't make you a grump." I said, walking over and giving Mipha a hug.

Mipha returned the embrace, nuzzling her face against my hair, "Do you intend to follow her request?"

"Ehh, I'm not going to go out of my way to defy her, but I'm not going to leave all the bags to you or just sit in the car for the rest of the trip." I said. "Actually, now that I think about it, the sooner I toughen up, the sooner you don't have to walk on eggshells with the whole strength difference."

"She could have a good reason, you need not rush things for my sake." Mipha said hesitantly.

"You are a good reason Mipha." I kissed her on the cheek, "I can see how much you worry about hurting me. I don't want you to have to stress out everytime we touch. Like right now, you are holding me like I could snap in half."

Mipha gave me a squeeze so light it was barely eligible to be called as such.

"I am not that delicate." I grumbled.

"Of course you are not." Mipha smiled, her eyes hiding a pale sadness.

"I think Samus is struggling. She's been dropped into alien worlds and pitted against horrible monsters before. This time though she was pulled into it because of how she looks and she can't even trust her own mind with how the spirits are influencing her." I said, swaying gently as I held Mipha close, "She might be setting me up to fail, to give herself a reason to be angry at me that she can justify to herself. I might play along, let her yell at me, get it off her chest. Hopefully she'll mellow out after that."

Mipha made a soft noise, affirming she heard me.

"Or I could just be overthinking it." I said, breaking our embrace with a kiss, then moving to pack up our bags.

We left the hotel shortly after, eating breakfast at a lovely beach cafe. Our day was an alternation between jewelry stores and pawn shops, mixed in with beach walks.

Whenever I thought Mipha wasn't looking, I squatted down, feeling the light tension in my legs, ignoring the confused or bemused expressions of passersby. Just to test for myself how quickly I could improve.

I wanted to strengthen my neck and core muscles more, but felt doing so would be a little too obvious.

When we arrived at our next hotel, I carried both our bags, up the stairs four flights as opposed to the elevator. It wasn't so far outside my normal habits that it was strenuous. At least that is what I told myself to justify my actions.

I was fairly certain that any impact would be negligible.

The second evening alone with Mipha was nearly as lovely as the first, though our final day flew by all too quickly.

"How much did we get in total?" Mipha asked from the passenger seat as we pulled into the marina parking lot.

"With the five hundred from that last place, it would bring us up to…" I trailed off to added up the numbers in my head, "About a day and a half of Samus's thirty five days of pay."

"Not counting any living expenses she will claim as well." Mipha added contemplatively. "There must be a better way, between all our capabilities."

"Probably, I think some of my copies have found more than one previously undiscovered shipwreck. We might be able to leverage that somehow. I'd have to brush up on salvage laws before going that route." I said. "I guess it is time to see what we are paying for."

I left the driver's seat and moved to the back of the van. After a quick glance around to see if anyone was around, I opened the hatch. Our bags were nestled around the base of the bondage frame, which I gave a tentative tug. It slide, but took enough effort that I could tell it was still outside my abilities to lift out right.

"Could you get the frame while I get the bags?" I asked as Mipha joined me at the back of the minivan. She nodded, grabbing hold of the frame and lifting it from the vehicle, showing no sign of struggle.

Slinging the bags over my shoulder, I locked the car and made my way to my boat.

The water was choppy, boats sloshing and rocking against the creaky boardwalk. Heavy grey clouds, laden with rain hung ominously above our heads, threatening to pour.

Charlie was sitting in the boat, giving a lazy wave at our approach, crown still atop her head. She wasn't wearing the ballgown, having replaced it with a pair of warm work pants and rain coat, hair done up in a ponytail.

The marina was empty other than her, but it was a relief to have Charlie sticking to a different face full time. That way there was less of a chance of someone realizing there were more of me than there should be. Our decision to change pronouns based on the form we took helped distance the Charlie persona from my own when in public.

"Have fun?" Charlie asked once we got close enough.

"I'd say so, Mipha?" I said, glancing her way.

"We had a lovely time," Mipha said.

"Good, let one of us know if that changes. If he acts like an asshole or pulls another 'doesn't matter had sex thing, we've got your back." Charlie said, giving me the same half smile I've seen enough times in a mirror, somewhat unnerving to see on Peach's face.

"You were me at that point, you don't get to claim the moral high ground." I said.

"The thought is appreciated, but that will not be necessary Charlie." Mipha said with a playful smile, apparently enjoying the exchange.

"Alright, if we've got that out of the way, let's get home before we are drenched." I said. The others didn't say anything to that, both of them preparing to leave.

The threat of rain became all the more concerning as Mipha stepped into the boat, weighed down by the frame, causing it to settle low into the water. Waves slapped against the hull, inches below the rim.

I shoved us off and Charlie took it slow over the water, glancing at the plastic window from to time, searching for rain drops.

They never came.

Tension released from my shoulders as the boat nudged its way onto the muddy shore of our home island. I hopped to the bank, still carrying the bags.

In the time I was faced away, Mipha had also left the boat, frame in her hands, while Charlie piloted the now less burdened boat further ashore.

"You weren't supposed to work out. I get why, but dude, you are going to regret it." Charlie said, hair bouncing as she shook her head.

"That bad?" I asked, setting down a bag to roll down my sleeves, covering biceps larger than when I was on crew team.

"Samus has to have a lie detector built into her suit or something. Being honest is the only thing that will save you now." Charlie said, boots splashing in the muddy water.

"Great, thanks for the heads up." I said, loading the bags into the gator parked nearby.

"Want a hand?" Charlie said to Mipha, who shook her head.

"I'll go ahead, I would like to talk with the princess while you meet with Samus." Mipha said, then turned to me, "Do you want this in the barn?"

"Yes please," I said.

Mipha nodded and took off across the field, running faster than I could manage even without the metal frame.

"She is such a sweetheart." Charlie said next to me.

"That she is." I said, eyes tracking Mipha as she traversed the vast meadow between our landing site and the ranch.

"Please don't fuck it up." Charlie said, giving me a glare.

"I'll do my best not to." I said, still looking across the field.

Charlie hummed, then sighed heavily.

"Should we head out?" I asked, finally turning to Charlie.

"Let's give it a minute. I'm enjoying my time away from the ranch." Charlie said, sighing again.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm on Samus's shit list. Putting the crown on healed any damage to my body, which translated to my first day of training being merely a grueling work out rather than progress counted by the strength power. It taught us more about how the power and the crown works, but that doesn't counter the offense of using my down time to play with magical artifacts." Charlie said, "And I'm pretty sure she knows I'm padding the time my errands take."

"Like you are right now?"

"Yep." Charlie said. "I guess we should head back."

As I climbed into the passenger seat of the gator, I gestured at Charlie, "so staying this way full time then? If the exercises don't count when you first put the crown on?"

"Yeah, makes it easier to maintain the act that I'm not you whenever I go on errands." Charlie said, starting up the gator, "and it is pretty fun, being someone else. Especially after yesterday's workout, the back strain isn't as bad."

"Glad to hear, it did not feel that pleasant when I was watching your… show." I fumbled for the word.

"Yeah, I've learned it isn't the cup size of one's boobs that matters, it is how many sports bras you need to keep them under control while exercising. Peach is a two minimum kind of lady." Charlie said, nodding downwards. She then turned the steering wheel to take us around a bend. "Mipha was okay with you watching in? I lost track of who I could feel watching a little bit in. Did not think of how my alcohol tolerance would change."

"She seemed fine, more than fine. She guided me back to the hotel and went down on me while…"

"DUDE! Do not tell me that! You have to be perfect for her and that means treating us like other people. You can't go around telling us about it, she would be mortified." Charlie said, high voice reminding me of a teacher I had long ago.

"You're right, you are so right." I said, "This whole split consciousness is still tricky to navigate."

Charlie was quiet, contemplative. "Okay, I might have been hasty. Just don't give me the blow by blow."

"I think she might have ruined regular sex for me. I joked about it with her afterwards but part of me, I don't think anything else will ever compare." I said.

Charlie groaned, "I changed my mind, I need more details than that. That night was fantastic, but I wouldn't have gone that far in my praise."

"Split your focus between two bodies, yours and another copy who is also having sex. It's… overwhelming to say the least so you'd probably need a partner doing stuff to you or you'd just stop before it gets to the best part." I said.

"Which means finding someone to hook up with. Men are no more interesting than before I was wearing the super crown. I'm pretty sure Samus would skin me if I even thought about asking, Bowsette is who knows where and Zelda is adorable but still into Link, and a bit young." Charlie said, turning to me, "I don't care what cultural differences there are, we are not going to take advantage of her."

"Oh I am right there with you. Mipha reminded me on our trip that Calamity Ganon's attack started on Zelda's seventeenth birthday." I said. "I had forgotten about that until then, think any of our copies are interested in her?"

"I don't think so, Bravo has been hanging out with her more in the last couple days. I'll talk to him, but I'm pretty sure it is platonic." Charlie drew in breath, lower lip trembling a little. A facial expression that was usually hidden by a beard. "I think he is enjoying being a big brother figure."

"I hear that," I said before by unspoken agreement we fell into silence. "We should do something for the anniversary."

"We've been talking about that. Either Bravo or Delta was going to go on the family trip, since I can't and Alfa wants to keep on the mission. You should spend it with Mipha, what with Valentine's Day being right after." Charlie said softly.

"I've always hated Valentine's Day." I said, ignoring how useless the statement was to someone who shared over two decades of memory with me.

Charlie didn't say anything, simply nodding her head.

The ranch drew closer, seconds away.

"Well, maybe you'll be lucky and the next person will be a morally unambiguous hook up buddy." I said with forced cheer.

"Maybe." Charlie said, parking us in front of the machine shed. The rotting shed door had been replaced, recently, as had most of the exterior boards. "She should be in there. Likes it if you call her sir, thanks for the heads up that you set that precedent by the way. I'll get your bags and see you here after I get changed."

I nodded and approached the shed, knocking on the unpainted wood.

"Come in."

I opened the door and found that I had to hold back from gaping in shock. Before I had left, the machine shed had been an empty shell, just sturdy enough that I trusted leaving a pair of gators in it when there wasn't a high wind advisory on the horizon. Shelves and counters had been left empty and rotting. Birds and bats roosted in it in warmer weather, flying through wide gaps in the walls.

Now it was restored. Not to what it once had been, but to the most serviceable state it could be. Holes patched, counter top replaced, tool racks filled with the items I normally had to lock up when I left the island unattended.

In the far back my camping hammock was strung between two load bearing posts. The non functional gator sat near the front door, signs of progress apparent even at a quick glance. On one side the wall above the counter was covered in white boards, print outs and more. From my position at the door I could make out the names of everyone who had arrived, lists with labels like combat applications and assets, and photos of both Galeem and Dharkon.

Samus was standing in front of the boards, hands resting on the counter. She tilted her head my way, sending me a glare, and I realized I had lingered at the door too long.

"That's close enough." She said when I was shy of fifteen feet from her.

I stopped, and waited for her to continue. I didn't know military custom well enough to follow it, and didn't know if the galactic federation she had once worked for followed anything resembling earth's.

"You exercised." The fact that I did so against her orders went unspoken.

"Yes sir." I said, keeping eye contact with her face, with her intense stare.

"We determined yesterday that new clones don't have the same physical strength of the clone they were split off from. If you had followed my orders we could have determined if clones split from a strong clone had a higher starting point or if they all started at the same baseline." She explained, not moving from where she was leaning over the counter. I took that in. Before all the implications came to me, Samus outlined them, in painful clarity.

"Instead of following orders, you denied us the opportunity to test what difference two days of exercise would make on your clones capabilities." She said, almost monotone, a voice of undeniable fact. "We could have had an exact day, an exact time when creating an army would have been worth the extra resources in exchange for extra capabilities and you wasted that opportunity. We could have known if it was worth dividing our efforts between many clones or a single clone that an army could stem from. You risked the fate of the world for whatever personal reasons you decided were more important. You risked lives. Families. Parents. Children. Siblings."

Her last word caused my hands to start shaking.

My vision was blurry, and I wasn't seeing Samus, eyes locked on her all the same.

I wanted to argue, to shout that if she had told me that was why she had made that call I would have gladly gone along with it. That if she hadn't kept her plan to herself we wouldn't have lost such an important opportunity.

My mind all too readily provided images of my failings, of a world consumed by light or dark. By those monsters glaring at us from the wall. I felt like I was drowning, the twisting knot in my chest pulling me under.

I seethed, angry with myself that I had set us back, risked the outcome of the final fight for a selfish desire, angry with Samus for keeping me in the dark. Angry with myself again because I should have known why she made the call, because it was obvious in hindsight.

She cracked the barest hint of a smile, like she just scored a point on me in a game I didn't realize we were playing.

Her tone had changed. Three days ago it was barely restrained anger, now it was patronizing, undeniably correct and frustratingly superior. It had taken her less than seventy two hours to find the exact way of hitting my buttons, the way of delivering the news to make it hit hardest, to draw regret and guilt and anger into a painful mess of self contempt. To do something only a handful of people had accomplished in my life. She had weaponized my guilt complex and did it with a smile.

In that moment, I hated her.

In that moment, I didn't think she was wrong to do so.

She had been silent through out my inner turmoil, speaking only when I knew she was toying with me.

"I had given your clones the time before your return off so they would be fresh for the testing, but that time was wasted by your decision as well. Since you are no longer at baseline we will skip straight to your training." Samus said, only now turning to fully face me. She crossed her arms, which I could only see out of the periphery of my vision, focused as I was on her face.

Her damn smug face.

"Every evening you and all your clones will be tested. The test will change at my discretion. Whichever individual performs worst will receive my full attention the following day. Understood?" Samus said, still with that not quite a smile on her face.

"Yes sir," I said, not trusting myself to say anything else. I focused on keeping my hands still.

"Good." She looked down at her hand, at a device in her hand. "You have three minutes to get dressed. The test will start at eighteen hundred whether or not you are there."

She turned and I took the dismissal for what it was, fleeing the machine shed.

Outside my copies were stretching, already garbed in athletic wear. Shorts and tank tops, or a doubled up pair of sports bras in Charlie's case. Shivering in the cold.

I raced by them, nearly missing Charlie waving me down.

I turned and caught the clothes she tossed me.

It was just above freezing, getting dark and I had only minutes to spare. I tore off my pants and shirt, deciding modesty was a foolish notion in front of my copies.

As I pulled on the athletic wear, I took notice of how my copies had changed. Calf muscles had definition that shown through my brown leg hairs, arm muscles had similarly expanded. Alfa and Delta were noticeably the most fit, their shoulders wider, with Bravo just behind them and Charlie's different body making comparison harder.

They were taking this seriously, while I had been having fun at the beach, they were focusing on saving the fucking world.

The fifth copy was closest to what I was right now.

"Echo?" I said, slipping my shoes on. Struggling to do so with how hard my hands were shaking.

"Yep, nice to meet you." Echo said with a nervous chuckle.

"Who were you copied from?" I said, scanning the group. Samus hadn't consulted me about making more copies and no one had told me. The betrayal stung, even as I told myself I was being unreasonable. I didn't deserve a vote with how I had acted.

"Delta, yesterday morning. Really hoping I'm not the weak link here. I remember going through Samus's training as Delta, had to do it again from scratch yesterday. Don't want to do it a third time." Echo said, then his face fell. "Shit, I wasn't supposed to tell you. Forget I said anything."

Those words punched to the gut.

This was the copy Samus wanted me to compare against. He had already had a day of training, there wasn't any reason to test my baseline strength, no reason for me to have started at baseline strength.

She had been fucking with me.

A quick glance confirmed it.

All my copies had looks of guilt, displaying at least two of my tells a piece. Downcast eyes, yawns, rubbing the back of their neck.

I could picture how it played out. Samus ordering them to keep quiet, to make me think I had fucked up for whatever asinine reason she had. My copies going along with it because of course they were fucking petty enough to pay me back for leaving them here to go on a date with Mipha, even if they felt guilty doing it.

I would have.

My theory that she wanted to feel in control over me was right. Except she didn't yell or shout, she struck a blow I couldn't just roll with.

"Seems like everyone else has quite the lead." I said, acting like I hadn't heard. Acting like I wasn't raging on the inside. The muscles in my jaw ached.

She had made me think I had risked the fate of the world. For a power play? For a one up on me? To feel in control?

"You'll catch up, they won't have their lead forever." Charlie said, nodding towards Alfa and Delta. The pair was eyeing each other, a challenging look in their eyes. All of them were choosing to ignore my tells, how close I was to breaking down.

Small mercies.

I was never competitive with myself they way some people were, no strong desire to beat my past time or record. I felt that having something external to look at and more immediate gratification from exercise had changed that. Anger was also a good motivator.

Samus stepped out of the shed and my copies assembled in a line. I was a split second behind them and hoped that wouldn't count against me. Thinking about it more I almost hoped it would count against me, that she would single me out and give me a platform to vent.

"I've placed six blue ribbons on the Western tip of the island. Six yellow ribbons are on the Eastern tip." She didn't shout, her voice had a soft confidence, sure that we would listen and obey. Her eyes slid across us, not pausing on any individual. She gestured to a wicker basket resting in the grass near to the shed door. "Last person to place one of each ribbon in this basket report here at oh six hundred."

None of my copies moved, but I could feel them tense next to me.

"Go."

Gravel and dirt sprayed from where Alfa and Delta had been, the pair leading the pack westward, neck and neck.

The group arranged as I expected.

And feared.

Echo was ahead of me. The anger I felt, the drive pushing me forward wasn't enough to compete with the a day training with Samus fucking Aran.

I lost sight of Alfa and Delta in the tree line in less than a minute. Bravo trailed behind them, Charlie feet behind him.

Echo and I weren't panting like we would have been only a couple days prior. We were sprinting, maintaining a pace I had only managed at my peak of cross country before this. The gap was widening between us, stretching to fifty feet before Echo hit the tree line.

Two days of training and most of my copies would give regional champion sprinters a challenge.

One day was more than enough to deny me a chance.

My lungs had a dull ache when Alfa and Delta blazed by me, leaping over a fallen log to avoid colliding with me on the deer trail we all were following. A blue ribbon in each of their hand.

If this had been us versus Samus, if the world wasn't at stake and it was a battle of wills, those two would have gone opposite directions, grabbed the whole pile and we would have all placed the ribbons in the basket together. We would stand together against Samus's bullshit mindgames.

That was what I was telling myself as Charlie and Bravo passed me. Echo not too far behind. That was what I was telling myself so I didn't direct all this anger at the people who shared my face.

I had lost.

The thought that the harder I pushed myself now, the easier tomorrow would be kept me focused. Kept me going.

The last blue ribbon was sticking out from under a rock, just above the high water line.

Losing momentum to turn around on loose gravel was agony, the knowing that I'd have to bring that speed back up. I threw myself back at the deer trails heading east. My breath was ragged now, tasting of iron.

Alfa and Delta were putting their ribbons in the basket when I made it to the western meadow.

I couldn't linger, but it seemed like neither were winded, high fiving each other before retreating into the farmhouse.

Bravo on the other hard was winded, panting nearly as hard as I was as he barrelled through the underbrush towards me, stumbling to the side to give me room to pass.

I didn't see Charlie or Echo as I wove through the blackberry bushes of the eastern side of the island.

Our paths didn't cross, and the braided deer trails were obscured by the foliage and the swiftly setting sun.

After what felt like an eternity of aches and panting and stewing on my emotions, I reached the second solitary ribbon.

It was dark and raining when I stumbled across the packed ground of the ranch, clutching the two strips of fabric. My legs burned, my chest burned, my skin numb from the cold, joints painfully stiff. Hair was plastered to my face and my beard hung heavy with water.

Samus was standing at the door way as I jogged towards her, stopwatch in her hand. Thumb hovering over a button.

I dropped the ribbons in the basket ten feet away, face as expressionless as I could manage as I stared at the object of my anger, panting and shivering at the same time.

"Six minutes and thirty five seconds faster than baseline." Samus said.

She knew what my baseline was. Of course she fucking knew. Of course she wanted me to know.

"So… so… it was.. all bullshit?" I panted, hands on my knees.

"Anything physical you do will be effortless after a night's rest. Effortless." Samus repeated, her voice that calm confidence that I was growing to despise, "I chose my words carefully Fossil. Alfa and Delta ran five kilometers in under fifteen minutes. Yesterday it was a little over twenty. I wouldn't be surprised if they break your world's record tomorrow. We will run out of useful conventional exercises in a matter of days. All your clones, current and future, will have to go through the same process to get to that capacity."

I had realized they had been fast, the degree to which shocked me from my fury for a moment.

"I needed to know how trustworthy you were. If you would listen to orders when unsupervised. Now I know." Samus said.

"It was… it was more than that.." If I wasn't so winded I would be shouting. " You wanted it to hurt. You wanted to piss me off."

She didn't say anything to that, staring down at me, studying me with her cold eyes. I took her silence for confirmation.

"Congratulations! You got under my skin, made me feel like shit. You ruined any mutual trust we could have built." I said through gritted teeth.

The only light we had was from the shed doorway behind Samus and the double wide trailer off in the distance. I wanted to rush over there, to Mipha. At the same time I desperately hoped she wouldn't look out the window and see me like this.

"I can do this without you, without any of you. You could become an asset, but I need to know now if you will be a liability." Samus said icily.

"How? How did this twisted stunt tell you anything? What purpose did throwing my sister's death in my face serve?" I pleaded, keeping my voice low.

She kept on studying me, like I was specimen under observation.

"Tell me!" I demanded.

She moved fast enough that I didn't recognize the thing she drew from her waist until it was stationary.

Only after I identified the object in Samus's hand, pointing straight at my face, did I realize I had taken a step towards her.

"You will not give me orders." Samus growled. Her arm was steady, the pistol frozen in place, barrel aiming between my eyes.

The sound of rain drowned out everything else, my breathing, my teeth chattering.

"Oh six hundred, here." Samus said, holstering her pistol and entering the machine shed, leaving me alone in the cold.

I slogged my way over to the trailer, a dozen trains of thought competing for space in my brain.

Once I entered the door I remembered the clothing I had left outside.

They could wait.

"Hey man, you okay? I'm sorry about keeping stuff from you, but Samus said.." Charlie began as she stood up from the couch, towel wrapped around her hair.

"Did you tell her about Regina?" I said, proud of myself for keeping my tone flat.

"No, none of us should have. Why?" Charlie said, visibly uncomfortable.

"She knew, she fucking knew and she threw it in my face. Said that my decision risked lives, she specified sibling's lives." I said, "And you all went along with this?"

Charlie paled, "She didn't..She said she was testing a few different things, if the strength effect bled between copies, if you would be able to hold back from exercising, a couple other things."

"She told me that one. Wanted to know if we were an asset or liability." I said, grabbing a towel from a cupboard. "Is Mipha in the bedroom already?"

"Yeah, she and Zelda have been there since I got back." Charlie said. "I'm so sorry, if I had known what she was planning."

"It's fine," I lied to myself, "I knew none of you would have actually gone along with it if you had known, it just… slipped out."

"Should we cut her loose? Just pay for the last couple days and send her on her way?" Charlie gave voice to a decision I had been considering.

"No, as tempting as it is, I still think we have a better shot if we work with her." I grumbled, settling onto the couch, hairs still on end from the cold. "You don't need to comfort me or anything, I'll be fine."

"If you are sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright, I'm heading to bed then. If you need anything let one of us know." Charlie said, disappearing through the front door into the rain.

Finally alone, I thought back to the moment Samus pulled the gun on me, on the look of her face.

It gave me a sick pleasure, twisted up with guilt, that I recognized the look all too well.

"One point to Fossil." I said to no one, picturing the briefest moment panic I had spotted in her eyes.


End file.
